Plastics applications with vision

In the case study, our plastics applications and solutions show what they can do.

Casestudies Visual
Mann schaut aus dem Fenster

GIWA and a major German car manufacturer make mobility lighter

The mobility industry will undergo fundamental change in the coming years. GIWA is accompanying this development. Together with our partner, we are making the future of the automotive sector lighter by developing innovative plastic parts.

 

Read more

Weight down, environmental protection up

More than 20 years ago, we specialised in high-gloss plastic parts for vehicle exteriors. The major advantage of plastic over other materials: The significantly lower weight makes the entire vehicle lighter and thus more environmentally friendly.
Based on the findings of a joint workshop with our automotive partner, GIWA was able to sustainably improve these plastic parts. Specifically, the weight of many assemblies and parts was optimized, thereby reducing the overall weight of the vehicle. This is an enormous relief when considering the overall life cycle of a car. Every gram that does not have to be accelerated and braked countless times makes the vehicle more ecological.

 

Cost-effectiveness and sustainability combined

In addition to many design optimizations, the project team is also systematically using lighter plastics with lower density. From various individual components that previously had to be joined together, it was possible to develop a one-piece plastic product. This saves costs and resources in addition to weight.

GIWA and Interstuhl bring movement into sitting

As a long-standing development partner of leading furniture brands, GIWA continues to provide impetus. The “UP” stool, realized together with Interstuhl, is currently causing a stir in the chair market. The standing aid, which won the German Design Award, is considered one of the most successful stools in the field of mobile seating.

 

Read more

Firm place in the team

The success story of the Interstuhl “UP” plastic stool is anything but coincidence. GIWA was involved in the development from the outset and helped the Interstuhl design team to come up with a design that was optimal in terms of the plastics and materials used, and to select suitable materials and production processes – with a view to cost-effectiveness at all times.

Unique seating

Since achieving market readiness in 2016, the various plastic parts of the stool have been manufactured and assembled in the GIWA production shops. Depending on the optical and technical requirements of the individual parts, 1-C or 2-C injection moulding processes are used. GIWA also uses different plastics depending on where on the stool the components “sit” and what function they have to perform. Components that are subjected to a structural load are made of glass fibre-reinforced engineering plastics, for example. Other parts stand out due to their special surface, colour or feel.

From mould making to shipping

As with all of its 700 active products, GIWA also organises the entire value chain for the “UP” stool, from mould making through to shipping. The necessary tools come from our in-house production as well as from long-standing external partners. The procurement and scheduling of purchased parts such as gas springs is carried out both via the Interstuhl procurement pool and directly by the purchasing department at GIWA. In other words, where all the components of the stool are fitted, assembled and packaged ready for sale.

The special thing about it: GIWA organises production for Interstuhl in accordance with the KANBAN principle and takes over the warehousing of the finished products for all 24 variants of the stool. This enables the customer to assure its end customers of maximum delivery reliability despite the typical fluctuations on the chair component market.

GIWA also handles direct shipping via online platforms such as Amazon FBA from its plant in Germany.

 

GIWA and Green Code develop innovative construction system for CO2 reduction

Steel and concrete have unique and symbiotic structural properties that enable structures such as tunnels, bridges and skyscrapers to be built effectively and durably. However, the production of concrete and steel is energy-intensive. This is where the innovative construction system from GIWA and Green Code comes into its own. It uses reinforced concrete at structurally relevant points and replaces it in the areas in between.

 

Read more

Daring to leave gaps

The construction industry is booming – and with it the global consumption of resources. While the sand needed for concrete production is becoming ever scarcer, the prices for energy continue to rise in parallel. In order to save as much of both as possible, GIWA has developed a revolutionary construction system together with Green Code. It enables the extensive use of reinforced concrete in structures to be limited to those points at which it is structurally necessary. Areas that do not have to meet high structural requirements contain air-filled holes. Each cavity is filled with a Green Code GC Box. This is sustainably manufactured from 100 percent recycled plastic. The structure thus requires significantly less steel and concrete and consequently has a better ecological footprint – by up to 20%.
 

Rethinking concrete processing

Furthermore, the innovative construction system offers major advantages in the planning of buildings. For example, it makes building ceilings considerably lighter, giving architects, property developers and project developers new possibilities in the planning and design of buildings. Structures with fewer load-bearing columns can be implemented, while lower ceiling thicknesses mean that buildings of the same height can have more storeys. Additionally, the system offers significantly improved impact sound insulation values and elements with an extremely large span width.

The GC Box, developed together with GIWA, is available exclusively through Green Code and its partner companies.

More information at www.green-code.com

GIWA plastic surfaces make household appliances shine

Lightweight and robust, functional and durable: The use of plastics has been enhancing household appliances with positive properties for many years. As a specialist for plastic parts on the household appliance market, GIWA brings another one into play: high-gloss and particularly hygienic transparent surfaces.

 

Read more

Pretty cool possibilities

Plastics have opened up possibilities for household appliances that were previously inconceivable. The main advantages are the shape and colour as well as the better hygienic properties. GIWA produces various parts for leading manufacturers in the household goods industry. In addition to very large parts such as housing bases or lids, more complex 2-component (2-C) parts are also manufactured. One particular speciality is our high-gloss transparent surfaces. It is no longer possible to imagine a refrigerator without them, and they are a pretty cool solution in other household appliances, too.

With this know-how up its sleeve, GIWA has also specialised over the years in drawer bodies and fronts. The advantage, apart from a beautiful surface, is the perfect clarity due to the crystal-clear optics.

Further industry solutions