500,000th Futura signal head leaving the factory in Neutal
“Celebrate occasions as they arise“– a saying everyone of us might have used once in their lives. Whether it's birthdays, anniversaries, or other significant events, the saying encourages us to take a moment to appreciate, enjoy and celebrate life’s special occasions. Because after all, each milestone is unique and deserves to be fully enjoyed when it happens!
On September 2, 2024, at exactly 9:25 a.m., the 500,000th unit of our popular signal head from the FUTURA-series left the production line at SWARCO Futurit in Neutal, Burgenland. This milestone represents a significant achievement for the production facility, which has been manufacturing this pioneering Eco Design product since 2008 and developing it ever since. Provided with a small letter of congratulations, the milestone model left our factory in the direction of our German subsidiary SWARCO Traffic Systems GmbH in Unterensingen, continuing to pursue the objective it was built for: to make the roads of our world a safer place.
FUTURA lightweight design saved over 1,450,000 kg of plastic
The production of this type of signal head began in 2008, at a time when sustainability and environmental protection were becoming increasingly important to the public. From the very beginning, the responsible engineers prioritized incorporating resource efficient solutions into the manufacturing process. The mission was clear: The Futura-line should not only stand out through cutting-edge technology providing unmatched durability, but also by minimizing environmental impact throughout its entire production and life cycle. On the one hand this was achieved through a significant weight reduction of the plastic parts by 63% (compared to its predecessor) as well as a reduction of metal parts and on the other hand through a highly repair- and recycling-friendly design.
Now, after introducing and selling our Eco Design product for 16 years, we can proudly say that our mission was successful. All our customers buying FUTURAs helped us save nearly 1 ½ thousand tons of plastic through the lightweight design. When we are having a closer look to the emissions linked to polycarbonate materials, this may be translated into a saving of over 12 600 tons of CO2-equivalents according to a reference of the Ecoinvent database.
But we also know that the journey is far from over. We still have so many stories to add: be it about the development of the Eco-Design, the qualitative materials used, the production with renewable energies, the use of efficient cutting-edge technology or the recyclability of the old parts at the end of their useful life. And we will do that soon! But for now, let's be grateful and celebrate our achievement.
Stay tuned!