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From the extraction of raw materials to manufacturing and disposal at the end of the life cycle: numerous factors contribute to the ecological footprint of a product. The renowned parking compactor WÖHR is constantly identifying new potential to make its product solutions more durable and sustainable: From October 2023, WÖHR will switch to an alternative coating for the corrosion protection of its driving plates. The new coating process not only saves up to 70 per cent CO2 emissions, but also convinces with further advantages in durability and corrosion resistance.

Future-oriented surface coating

The newly chosen coating process is a coating for flat steel made of a special zinc-aluminium-magnesium alloy. This alloy is applied on conventional hot-dip galvanising lines using the hot-dip method. Thanks to a 3 % magnesium content, this method offers higher corrosion resistance in environments containing chloride and ammonia. This corrosion resistance allows thinner metal coatings and thus also a reduction in the coating weight. However, despite thinner coatings, the corrosion protection is higher than with hot-dip galvanising.

Numerous advantages in processing and practical use

Specifically, surfaces with this coating show less white powder formation during storage and transport, less rust formation, even in environments with high levels of road salt, and significantly improved media resistance under real-life conditions of use. Another major advantage is the processing of the steel. Since the steel is delivered already coated and can be processed directly, the transport routes to the galvanising plant are eliminated, which also has an enormous effect on the CO² balance. The high zinc content of the coating also allows all processing methods such as bending, deep drawing, profiling or punching.

Part of a comprehensive sustainability strategy at WÖHR

For WÖHR, sustainability is one of the megatrends that will shape global mobility in the future. WÖHR parking solutions should also leave an ever smaller CO2 footprint over their entire life cycle. To achieve this, the technology leader is pushing the use of innovative materials and technologies that consume as few resources as possible during production and in practical use. The changeover to the new coating will initially affect the WÖHR CLASSIC PROFILE and SMART-PROFILE 2.0 drive plates.