DB Schenker: Healthy employees – the basis for healthy growth

30 Oct 2019

With 100 locations in Germany and over 2,000 locations worldwide, DB Schenker is a leading provider of global logistics services. As a service provider, the company does not produce goods but instead offers services which expert employees develop and implement for customers. Healthy employees are therefore a valuable asset to the logistics company and need to be protected.

“FOR US, WHAT EMPLOYEE PROTECTION MEANS IS THAT EMPLOYEES LEAVE WORK AT THE END OF THE DAY IN THE SAME STATE OF HEALTH IN WHICH THEY ARRIVED TO START THEIR DUTIES IN THE MORNING.” Martin Witt, Health and Safety Officer at Schenker Deutschland AG, Langenhagen/Hanover

DUST – AN EVER-PRESENT DANGER FOR PEOPLE, GOODS AND MACHINES
In logistics companies, high dust levels are often impossible to avoid. Lots of movement in the halls and significant speeds when loading and unloading sometimes cause extreme particle-matter load, especially due to the abrasion of the forklift wheels. When the hall doors open and close, dust is swirled around, and new dirt is brought in and distributed across the space. This poses major challenges for the highly active locations of DB Schenker.

PARTICLES PUT EMPLOYEES' HEALTH AT RISK
A high particle-matter load jeopardises not only the quality of the goods and services, but above all the healthof the workforce: a high concentration of dust in the airmakes it harder to breathe, increases the risk of illness (such as asthma) and can even cause cancer. These findings preyed on the minds of the managers at DB Schenker too, particularly when they carried out their own observations on site. When dust collects on the ground, the risk of slipping increases for forklifts, pallet trucks and pedestrians alike. In order to keep all these risks more orless under control, intensive cleaning was required – but didn't always yield satisfactory results. The managers at DB Schenker were in agreement – it was time to act.

WINDS OF CHANGE FORLOGISTICS COMPANIES –DUE TO CLEAN AIR
The initial impetus came from within the company's own ranks. A colleague reported on Zehnder air cleaning systems that were already successfully in use at other DB Schenker locations. The managers invited Zehnder along, and the experts came, provided information and made a convincing case. The “Clean Air” project could begin.

SOPHISTICATED ZEHNDER TECHNOLOGYERADICATES FINE AND COARSE DUST
Industrial air cleaning systems from Zehnder CleanAir Solutions have been installed at two DB Schenkerlocations – in Dortmund and Langenhagen/Hanover. Theprinciple: the systems filter dust particles from the airbefore they can be inhaled or spread across the space. The secret is a patented filter combination. The Flimmerfilter uses mechanical and electrostatic charge to bindfine and coarse dust, while the downstream Media filter traps the dust particles that have not yet been caught. A further argument is that Zehnder doesn't simply sellproducts – it offers complete solutions and services which are precisely tailored to the needs of the locationin question. A full service package also ensures that the customer needn't worry about a thing once thesystem has been commissioned. Maintenance and filter replacements are provided automatically.

RESULT: UP TO 87% FEWER DUST PARTICLES
The difference was clear to see straight away. The air isnow visibly clearer and employees' faces and clothes areclean when they leave the site at the end of the day.

“I LIKE TO USE THE COMPARISON OF HOWWE WATCHED TV IN THE PAST AND HOW WE DO TODAY. NOW WE SEE THE IMAGES IN HD QUALITY HERE. ”Benjamin Kalle, Head of System Freight, Schenker Deutschland AG, Dortmund