Student consultancy collaboration highlights environmental gains and encourages new-generation engagement

• Sustainability initiative
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A collaborative project with Lund University’s student-run consultancy, Lunicore, has highlighted new ways of thinking, revealed potential new environmental gains from further implementing existing Bruks Siwertell digital technology, and more widely impacted how companies, such as Bruks Siwertell, can better engage with students. 

Sustainability goal: social and environmental 

Bruks Siwertell Group has set a number of sustainability ambitions across three categories, environmental, social and governance, and has announced numerous targets for 2030 including: an environmental target of a fifty percent reduction in CO2 emissions across the Group, in comparison to the levels measured in 2019; and a social sustainability target of 30 percent women in managerial roles by 2030, which is a nine percent unit increase; and raising personnel satisfaction levels from an employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) of 25 to 30.  

Collectively contributing to these targets are numerous initiatives, including a recent collaborative project with Lund University’s student-run consultancy, Lunicore. As one of Sweden’s leading public research institutes, the work has highlighted new ways of thinking, revealed potential new environmental gains from further implementing existing Bruks Siwertell digital technology, and more widely impacted how companies, such as Bruks Siwertell, can better engage with students. 

Solution and results

Novel ways of thinking, student engagement and collaboration are key approaches in sustainable business. The collaboration with Lunicore had two focus areas: firstly, it asked the consultants to look at innovative ways for companies to interact with students; and secondly, it gave access to both the technology and the in-house knowledge bank to allow students to explore new approaches and assess the potential environmental impact of fully implementing a Bruks Siwertell digital industrial internet of things (IIoT) tool, a go-to-market-IIoT project.  

By connecting with universities, companies can better access student communities, which is not only potentially advantageous for securing a new-generation workforce, but also for promoting equal opportunities, a growth-mindset and personnel satisfaction. It also secures new ways of thinking. Through this project, young collaborators were able to directly interact and learn with customers and personnel, and develop first-hand experience.  

The go-to-market-IIoT project involved students working together with Bruks Siwertell, and Lunicore contributing with expert market research and evaluation knowledge. Lunicore had open access to all technical information, and involved Lunicore consultants learning about Siwertell ship unloading and loading equipment for handling dry bulk materials, and visiting a customer site in Copenhagen, Denmark.  

“Throughout the project, we encouraged the students to openly interact and interview company personnel,” explains Kristoffer Alm, Business Solution Developer, Bruks Siwertell. “The results were delivered by Lunicore and have proved to be very valuable for Bruks Siwertell. The ‘new minds’ from Lunicore have shown that it was the right decision to trust this project to a younger generation, giving us opportunity to take this go-to-market-IIoT project further, faster. 

“We have always been a company that has given our young, new personnel opportunities, responsibilities and the possibility to take on new positions and tasks,” continues Alm. 

Since 2018, Bruks Siwertell’s IIoT platform has enabled the company to provide remote, expert, customer support, which has significantly reduced service travel. Alm notes that: “Significant levels of CO2 could be saved when the system in fully developed, with estimates indicating that travel could be reduced by around 125,000km a year, equating to an annual reduction of 35.5 metric tons of CO2. It was established that this is around the same footprint as growing and providing around 57 metric tons of lentils for human consumption per year. 

“An additional benefit of the collaboration was that the Lunicore consultants gave Bruks Siwertell new insights into more effective ways of communicating with students, recommending sharing information about Bruks Siwertell through further cooperation, lecture sessions for students, and improving our value proposition for new personnel,” concludes Alm. 

Monitoring and assessing sustainability milestones and achievements 

Bruks Siwertell Group’s sustainability goals are assessed from an environmental, social, and governance (ESG) perspective, with each initiative falling into one or more of these categories. This is to clarify how different initiatives impact our overall sustainability work, and how their results can be used to maximum effect. It also contributes to our commitment to transparency. All aspects of our sustainability work are designed to be educational, so that we increase our knowledge and adjust our ambitions accordingly.