Otto Graf GmbH receives highly-regarded Baden-Württemberg innovation prize

Dr.-Rudolf-Eberle-Prize

Since 1985, the Dr.-Rudolf-Eberle-Prize has been awarded to mid-sized, Baden-Württemberg based companies every year. It acknowledges outstanding performances in the development of new products, processes and technological services. A prize committee evaluates the 71 applications according to technological progress, special business performance and economic success. According to the initiators, the prize reflects the significance of small and mid- sized companies for the development of technologies. Ernst Pfister, Minister of Economic Affairs of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, awarded the prize on 24 November 2010.

Behind this backdrop, the federal state of Baden-Württemberg awarded a total of € 50,000. Otto Graf GmbH received an award of € 15.000 for the innovative manufacturing method used for the production of the underground tank Carat.

Time and time again, product size is a factor that challenges the manufacturers of large containers, especially in terms of logistics. The dimensions of the products greatly influence the costs of logistic processes. Graf took on that challenge and developed the tank series Carat. This makes the worldwide export of large containers for a wide variety of uses possible.

The trick: The container consists of two half shells. Domestic customers receive underground tanks that are manufactured in automated processes. For this, the half shells are welded in a fully automated process. Customers abroad, however, receive tanks in a modular design. Stacked on pallets, the half shells of the tank, as well as other components are mounted on-site at the customer’s location, thanks to the patented quick connection system. This results in enormous freight savings of up to 85%. These savings make the global export of the tank, which holds up to 6500 litres, possible. By now, it is sold worldwide, in more than 60 countries. With this, the company’s export shares could be increased to more than 50%.

The project required the conception and development of the world’s largest injection moulding machine. It has a length of 25 m and a total weight of 585 tons- as much as 500 passenger cars. Weighing 160 tons, the tools were also dimensioned in sizes that have never before been achieved.

The advantage over ordinary manufacturing methods is the significant improvement of energy efficiency. The method saves up to 30% in respect to energy consumption and 30-40% of raw materials, compared to ordinary manufacturing methods. In a direct comparison, the water consumption is decreased by 93%, due to closed water cycles. The underground tank Carat has higher levels of stability and lower manufacturing costs. Hence, it can be sold with an excellent price-performance-ratio and 15 years of manufacturer warranty.

The innovation is protected by more than 60 industrial property rights (patent and trademark registration) and was declared “Product of the year 2008” by the plastic consumer goods association “Fachverband Konstoff-Konsumwaren e.V.”. Furthermore, Carat was nominated for the “German design award”. In May 2010, the bestseller from Teningen received the “Plus X Award”- label in the category “High Quality”.

For more than 45 years, Otto Graf GmbH has been producing high quality plastic products for rain water harvesting, percolation systems, wastewater treatment and containers for industrial use. Thanks to GRAF products, the customers of the European market leader for rain water harvesting are saving more than 100 million litres of precious drinking water each and every day. Roughly 270 employees are employed by Otto Graf GmbH at the manufacturing sites Teningen and Dachstein (France). Since the site Teningen was expanded in 2006, GRAF has created 135 new jobs. In the past five years, the company has doubled its turnover to more than 65 million Euros.

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