Sustainable Products and Services
Rosenbauer offers its customers sustainable firefighting products that combine safety and longevity. In doing so, the company relies on environmentally friendly materials and conserves resources by reducing its consumption of materials, energy and water.
Only environmentally friendly PP tanks are used in Rosenbauer vehicles
Technology and innovation, product reliability and longevity, and health and safety of emergency services are the most important aspects for Rosenbauer in the development and manufacture of products. The company studies social megatrends in detail along with their implications as regards future requirements for emergency services. For example, demographic change and increasing digitalization will have an impact on the way fire services are structured and the technology they use. In addition, Rosenbauer is transitioning more and more into a system provider to fire services; this is why customer service is playing an increasingly important role in the company. One strategic goal is to equip fire services with fascinating, state-of-the-art products. Rosenbauer plays a large part in defining these as it is the firefighting industry’s technology and innovation leader. So for the company, research and development are a top priority. The same applies to ongoing product development with regard to environmental impact and ergonomics. The quality management system and regular audits guarantee continual improvement.
Close cooperation with all suppliers and partners is a critical factor for Rosenbauer’s success. They are selected according to strict criteria and regularly assessed. In general, business relationships with key suppliers to the major production facilities are longstanding. Value is created locally through partnerships with mostly regional suppliers. Additional information on the topic of supplier management is provided in the Business ethics & supply chain section.
TECHNOLOGIE UND INNOVATION
The focus on technology and innovation enables Rosenbauer to equip fire services with fascinating products. Research into future developments and trends serves as the foundation for Rosenbauer’s innovation efforts which are always focused on the long term. For years now, the company has been analyzing the megatrends identified by Zukunftsinstitut and other research institutions studying trends. In 2013, the first fire service trend map was prepared, and its fourth version was released in fall 2020. This trend map draws connections between the major megatrends and fire services and serves as a source for inspiration. Employees who bring their field experience gained from participation in voluntary fire services to bear on processes and product development at Rosenbauer make a major contribution to the company’s innovativeness. To leverage expertise, the company works with educational institutions and centers of excellence, and actively participates in national and international research programs.
This includes factoring in environmental issues at a very early stage of development through materials analysis, taking account of material workability, and recyclability. Rosenbauer is increasingly focusing on prevention, particularly in its innovation activities. This will prevent damage situations from having to be mitigated in the first place; instead they will be prevented as early as possible. The early spotting of fires and especially forest fires has been a key area of emphasis in research in this regard since 2019.
Its position as an innovation and technology leader in the firefighting industry is possible only with an in-depth understanding of future fire service requirements, the expertise of long-serving employees and continuous R&D activity. Equally, customers and users are involved in most of its developments. In the reporting year, Rosenbauer invested €19,9 million in research and development.
Extinguishing systems for battery fires in electric vehicles
Changes in the way we get around are bringing an increasing number of electric vehicles onto the roads. This poses a new challenge for fire departments. Although electric vehicles are no more prone to fires than conventional ones, the potential hazards of high-voltage batteries that catch fire cannot be underestimated. Battery fires occur differently than forest fires, which can be described as growing in intensity. As long as fuel is available, the fire continues to intensify. Batteries, however, have individual modules, which cause the fire to develop in waves rather than exponentially. Extinguishing efficiency is definitely the priority here. Rosenbauer has been researching high-volt battery fires since 2018, and in 2020 announced a special extinguishing system for this purpose. It differs fundamentally from all other approaches known to date. The extinguishing system is activated remotely and always from a safe distance from the vehicle. The development of this product and the market launch planned in 2021 again underscore Rosenbauer’s innovative leadership.
Reducing the Environmental Impact of Products
Rosenbauer takes sustainability into account over the entire life cycle of its products. For instance, in the design phase, all environmental impacts are considered as are the greatest possible reduction of waste and the efficient use of resources. The superstructures of Rosenbauer firefighting vehicles are largely made of aluminum, as it is significantly lighter and less susceptible to corrosion than steel. The design of the Advanced Technology (AT) firefighting truck allows maximum utilization of the body, higher payloads compared to vehicles with steel superstructures, and superior handling. It also makes the AT municipal flagship easy to recycle at the end of its life.
Revolutionary Technology (RT) - the first municipal vehicle with a fully electric drive system
In 2020, Rosenbauer presented the RT (Revolutionary Technology), the most cutting-edge firefighting vehicle in the world with a fully electric drive system. The entire design and construction of the vehicle was revamped to meet the future needs of fire departments. Sales of this innovative municipal firefighting vehicle began worldwide in 2020. The RT concept by Rosenbauer met with great interest on all continents.
The cities participating in the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group are particularly notable for their common fight against climate change. For many of these cities, Rosenbauer offers an innovative solution for reducing the impact on the urban environment, particularly carbon emissions by city traffic. The RT is not just a vehicle, but an end-to-end concept with which Rosenbauer is revolutionizing the everyday work of firefighters. It offers a complete digital transformation of firefighting from resource planning through operational command to documentation and evaluations. More than 3,200 firefighting vehicles with comparable technology are expected to be in use across the globe by 2030.
The Revolutionary
Technology (RT)
Toward a fluorine-free future – Proportioning systems for fluorine- free extinguishing agents
Extinguishing foam is among the most important products for fighting fires in solid materials and liquids. Some foam concentrates contain substances that fall into the category of PFCs, or perfluorinated chemicals. In addition to their great advantages in firefighting, the adverse impact of these perfluorinated chemicals on the environment cannot be ignored. After a deployment, they enter the soil along with extinguishing water and cannot be broken down naturally. With time, their concentration can increase, and they can enter the food chain with toxic effect. An alternative is fluorine-free foam concentrates that are fully biodegradable. The higher viscosity of these fluorine-free compounds also increases the demands on the pressurized foam proportioning systems, however. In order to resolve these many requirements and technical challenges, Rosenbauer has developed a new system, the RFC Admix Variomatic. In addition to producing foam proportioning systems, the company helps customers minimize the use of foam concentrates, recommends the use of fluorine-free foam concentrates, and therefore keeps the environmental impact to a minimum.
Innovative pressurized foam proportioning system Variomatic for fluorine-free extinguishing agents
PRODUCT RELIABILITY AND LONGEVITY
Since firefighting technology has to operate immediately, reliably and flawlessly in the toughest conditions, quality is the primary factor in all products and processes and in Production. The associated reliability and longevity are extremely important, not least because most fire services are publicly funded. In addition to the quality management system, this is guaranteed by Rosenbauer with the use of high-quality materials and components, and continual improvement of product safety and customer service, which ensures safe operation
Quality is number one at Rosenbauer – Rosenbauer’s quality management system
The conditions firefighting technology must be able to withstand are stipulated in strict standards. Rosenbauer meets the highest standards worldwide. The company guarantees quality along the entire value chain with experienced professionals and an ISO 9001:2015-certified quality management system, which is also used to steer and optimize processes. The best possible quality to customers is ensured by numerous quality tests conducted as early as the production stage.
Number of production locations certified to ISO 9001
Old becomes new again – Sustainability thanks to the refurbishment program
Product reliability and longevity along with high quality are the most important requirements in production at Rosenbauer. Thanks to the refurbishment program, Rosenbauer is lengthening the life of its products sustainably and bringing every aging vehicle up to the state of the art in technology, while incorporating the most recent innovations. Overhauling vehicles, equipment, or key components to make them like new is an extensive process using the skills of highly qualified technicians at Rosenbauer that requires strict quality controls. The goal is to refurbish a vehicle back to an excellent standard of quality, regardless of vehicle type. In the reporting period, eight vehicles were refurbished as part of this program. Furthermore, Rosenbauer also completed 26 projects in which individual components (e.g. lighting) was brought up to date.
HEALTH AND SAFETY OF EMERGENCY SERVICES
The health and safety of firefighters is Rosenbauer’s top priority and is always the focus in the use of our products. In addition, product ergonomics and safety devices are being continuously improved. These must provide the fire services with the best possible support and protection as they go about their daily work. Rosenbauer offers comprehensive customer training courses. These range from operator and technical training on vehicles and extinguishing systems, through special tactical training, to simulated deployments. Rosenbauer measures the outcome of these actions based on the number of training sessions attended and simulators sold, and by comparing the user-friendliness.
“Be clean & stay healthy” – Hygiene campaign
Rosenbauer sees itself as a partner to fire departments. For this reason, the company considers it a societal duty to focus its research activities on topics that promote the health and safety of emergency services. Firefighters literally “walk through fire” when they are deployed. They are subject to various risks, such as smoke inhalation. In 2020, Rosenbauer worked very intensively on hygiene during deployments. At the start of the year, an expert workshop was held, and concepts were developed subsequently with the help of various research institutions. A global campaign is planned for 2021 to raise and increase awareness of hygiene during fire service deployments. This issue is gaining importance in Northern Europe, the United States, and Australia.
Expanding the simulator range
Rosenbauer’s goal for simulators is to facilitate training for emergency services and to ensure their preparedness for unusual situations in an emergency. The company has met these requirements since 2014 with a range of various simulators. In 2020, Rosenbauer grew the range and launched another simulator on the market with which the use of turntable ladders can be practiced. Especially the correct positioning and optimal handling of the ladder basket requires a lot of skills and tactical knowledge from the emergency services. Training in a simulator is cost-effective and possible at any time, not to mention it avoids putting firefighters in dangerous situations unnecessarily. In addition, it is environmentally friendly due to the reduction in fuel, water, and foam concentrate used.
Status Goal Variety of training simulators
Robots for many applications – All-purpose “helpers”
The digital transformation of fire services is becoming increasingly noticeable. Of all of the advantages this brings, the primary ones are occupational health and safety for fire departments. This is also a major concern for Rosenbauer during the new product development process. In 2020, the company launched a new product to meet precisely these needs: the RTE ROBOT. This is an innovation by Rosenbauer that involved the development of an electric track vehicle used for reducing to a minimum potential hazards operational teams might face. From transporting heavy equipment to various recovery operations and even reconnaissance with the help of cameras, the robot handles particularly difficult and dangerous tasks to assist the humans deployed. The many possible uses for this device are a unique feature. This is another product created by Rosenbauer to support safe deployment of emergency services while keeping people out of the danger zone.
Rosenbauer RTE ROBOT
Rosenbauer Virtual Reality Aerial ladder simulator
