WRITTEN BY AMY TOCKNELL

Continually making huge strides in their industry, Tiroler Rohre’s passion for effective water provision and waste water management is matched by just one thing; a deep seated commitment to developing environmentally progressive technology for a more sustainable future.

DUCTILE CAST IRON

SUCCESS

Speaking to Max Kloger, Vice President of Tiroler Rohre and

Erich Steinlechner, Head of Pile Systems Endeavour asked

the question, what is the secret to the company’s success? The

refreshingly honest answer that followed, “without progress there is

no future”, spoke volumes about the organisation as a whole; nothing

is extraneous, everything is essential and as a collective, the staff and

processes work cohesively to meet desired standards and deadlines.

With a core staff body of 180, a small percentage of the original

1,000 strong workforce, Kloger explains that fewer people does

not indicate a decline in quality or production, but rather a more

streamlined process that allows for cost-effective savings to be

passed onto clients,

“There are less people in the company now, due to technological

developments. Strides forward in engineering mean that machine-

operation now requires less staff. Previously we employed 1000

staff but now 180 staff complete better work and at higher levels of

productivity, while incurring smaller salary costs for the company.”

Keen to retain a highly skilled workforce, Tiroler Rohre offer

an enticing incentive scheme whereby all staff members are given

a monetary target that, through submission of at least two ideas a

year, they are asked to translate into cost savings for the company.

Those that are able to identify a process that could benefit from

further streamlining are eligible for a financial reward if their idea

TIROLER ROHRE GMBH

Founded in 1947, Tiroler Rohre has enjoyed in excess of 60 years at the forefront of its industry. Originally a family business, drinking water supply and waste water disposal were the only services offered, but thanks to year-on-year organic growth and impressive technological breakthroughs, more products have been added to the incredibly specialist repertoire. Two niche market enterprises that have enjoyed success are ductile cast iron piles ---the TRM Pile System--- and artificial snowmaking pipes joining the offered services list being introduced in 1986.

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Ductile iron under

the scanning electron

microscope

proclivities for certain tasks and from there, opt to specialise.

‘Apprentice camp’ assists with this decision making process, allowing

students to change their area of interest for something more suitable.

Joining the company from school, most trainees are placed into

an initial three-year training programme, educating them not just

in the use of task-specific tooling, but metalwork as a whole. With

an overarching sense of the material they work with having been

ingrained, staff are then cherry picked for focused areas, depending

on their abilities.

Interestingly, no two development programmes are the same at

Tiroler Rohre, as Kloger comments:

“There are no standard programmes. Individual development

programmes are created for every person, with demonstrable talent

being identified easily due to the small workforce. Each department

has a number of development programmes running simultaneously,

with identifiers of potentially incredible staff members in situ.

Weaknesses in skill sets are actively identified, as well as strengths,

allowing for proactive skill maintenance, personalised productivity

reports and extra training, where required.”

Diminutive in size only, the staff body is geared towards industry

excellence and customer satisfaction through effective customer

relationship management.

Offering comprehensive

guarantees for all products and

services supplied, Tiroler Rohre

has secured an impressive

customer base, which looks set

to increase dramatically with

new developments and outside

the box thinking.

Determined to demonstrate

a genuine affinity for

environmentally sound

technological developments,

Kloger draws attention to the

company’s underlying ethos of

‘sustainable and conscious action

is our duty’. Utilising considered

design techniques the company

strives to create new products

that will directly impact on

the economic and ecological

TIROLER ROHRE GMBH

is implemented and successful.

This scheme, called ‘innovation

management’, sits alongside

comprehensive training and

development initiatives. Kloger

commented that,

“Tiroler Rohre is a typical

ductile cast iron process

company in that all of our

workers are specially trained

and developed to become highly

skilled in liquid iron procedures.

Other business critical skills

including maintenance of

machines, marketing and

business development are also

supported.”

Apprenticeships play a key

role in the development of staff

at Tiroler Rohre, allowing team

members to identify natural

sustainability within the water industry. An already established

Tiroler Rohre procedure is the recycling of scrap iron to make new,

high quality pipes and fittings. Impacting on the local environment

significantly, last year saw the organisation salvage 5% of all Austrian

scrap iron.

Looking to adopt greener processes wherever possible, the

company is excited about its foray into Concentrated Solar Power

(CSP) projects and the use of hydroelectric turbines. Focusing on

the intended results of such diversification, Steinlechner commented

that,

“We, as an organization with the unique TRM Piling System, are

always seeking to increase sustainability. To this end, most of our new

Concentrated Solar Power projects are located in remote regions,

where we are helping to reducing the carbon footprint. There is

an inherent need for us, as a species, to do something global. What

Tiroler Rohre has decided upon is the support in more green energy

and less reliance on fossil fuels.”

So what is the secret to the incredible success being enjoyed by

Kloger and his team? The answer is not as simple as it first seemed,

with ‘progress’ being made through a series of expertly planned and

executed streamlining phases and diversification of products and

services to include environmentally sound technology. A decidedly tall

order for lesser or inadequately prepared companies, Tiroler Rohre

has taken it entirely in its stride. Supported by a bank of continually

developing industry specialists, a desire to invest in new technologies

and an underlying commitment to living up to the highest standards of

corporate social responsibility, the future potential of the company is

as limitless as the solar energy that looks destined to power it.

“ There is an inherent need for us, as a species, to do something global. What Tiroler Rohre has decided upon is the support in more green energy and less reliance on fossil fuels.”

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TIROLER ROHRE GMBH

0043 5223 503-0

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