Sustainability is also a key issue in logistics. Protecting air and water quality and reducing emissions is a task for society as a whole, and sustainability has now become a key economic factor.
At LogiMAT 2023 in Stuttgart, WAGNER Group GmbH, one of the technology leaders in the areas of fire detection and fire prevention, will be presented from April 25 to 27 in Hall 7 at Stand C15 how logistics companies can make their contribution to climate and environmental protection through holistic fire protection - and how appropriate fire protection solutions support them in implementing and achieving their sustainability goals.
Ecological damage caused by fire events
"When it comes to planning and the diverse use of storage properties, the issue of fire protection should always be included in the considerations when considering risk, profitability, and protection objectives," says Steffen Springer, Managing Director of WAGNER Group GmbH.
Keyword: warehouse logistics with a high concentration of values. Fires destroy the material assets of the property and the stored goods and can endanger the ability to deliver.
catastrophic consequential damage
Toxic substances and compounds are released, depending on the stored goods
In addition, the ecological consequences are often fatal: smoke gases, smoke and soot particles, and other potentially toxic substances and compounds are released, depending on the stored goods. Each combustion also results in the emission of large quantities of CO2.
Fire residues and non-destructive extinguishing agents used in the course of firefighting can sometimes cause catastrophic consequential damage, and contaminated extinguishing water can endanger the cleanliness of the groundwater.
Active fire prevention
Steffen Springer continues, "Every fire that can be avoided is the best solution to prevent danger to people and to protect processes and the environment."
He said, "Active fire prevention, which works with the principle of oxygen reduction in the areas to be protected, is one of the most effective ways to do this," says Steffen Springer. "We have developed our OxyReduct ® system for this purpose."
Special case: lithium-ion batteries
Other industries need storage solutions for these energy storage devices, which are also used in laptops
The demand for new storage space is unbroken, and increasingly it is about the storage of lithium-ion batteries. One of the drivers is the automotive industry with its increasing volumes in the field of e-mobility.
In Germany, this is particularly evident in the new Tesla "Gigafactory" in Brandenburg and in the federal government's plans to put at least 15 million electric cars on Germany's streets by 2030. But other industries also need storage solutions for these energy storage devices, which are also used in laptops and smartphones as well as e-bikes.
Lithium-ion storage
Kuno Neumeier, CEO of Logivest and spokesman for the logistics real estate topic group of the German Logistics Association (BVL), predicts that the size of the storage space required for lithium-ion batteries will be around 7 million square meters by 2030.
When it comes to storage, these energy sources pose special fire protection requirements, as they pose the risk of spontaneous combustion due to thermal runaway - sometimes with fatal economic and environmentally damaging consequences.
holistic fire protection solutions
To maintain delivery capability and avoid environmental hazards, holistic fire protection solutions are indispensable
In the case of thermal runaway, the fire process cannot be stopped by extinguishing it, pollutants are released, and if they spread to other stored goods, the fire often spreads quickly.
In order to protect goods from fire damage, especially when storing lithium-ion batteries as a dangerous good, to prevent operational interruptions and their consequential damage, to maintain delivery capability and to avoid environmental hazards, holistic fire protection solutions are indispensable.
fire detection
These consist of the earliest possible fire detection in combination with active fire prevention and organizational fire protection measures.
At LogiMAT, WAGNER will use the example of the reference project for KETTLER Alu-Rad GmbH to show what such a holistic solution, designed individually for the customer, can look like.
