It is our values that carry us forward

Proton Engineering is registered with NQC Supplier Assurance, a self-assurance questionnaire (SAQ) system for sustainability reporting. The system specialises in handling supplier risks in the automotive industry and according to Supplier Assurance is the most frequently used self-assurance system in the automotive sector.

In the latest report, Proton Engineering shows a total score of 82%, a strong result in national comparisons and even globally. The industry average in Sweden is 54% and the global average is 57%. Proton Engineering’s CEO Per Petterson thinks that the good results are due to the company’s core values.

“We have a strong grounding in our values, and sustainability is a natural part of this. Our goal was not to get bogged down in internal measures. We have taken it a step further and begun to measure and understand our footprint on the world with the assistance of our suppliers.”

One of the areas in which Proton Engineering has succeeded particularly well is in the use of materials, prioritising recycled and traceable metal.

“Being able to procure and offer our customers recycled materials is an effective way of reducing without in any way affecting the quality of the finished component,” says Per Petterson.

“We do not use any environmentally hazardous chemicals in our production and we monitor the lists of harmful substances.” The stringent requirements Proton Engineering has for their suppliers apply across the board.

“Naturally we require that they follow all conventions, laws and regulations. But we also want them to select at least three areas under the Global Compact in which they regularly measure and demonstrate improvements. We are still in the early stages of these efforts, but we have begun doing regular follow-ups of our suppliers on site.”

What brings down the total score of Proton Engineering is the working conditions, human rights and health and safety in the workplace, says Per, explaining that they do not have a management system for these issues yet.

“For companies operating in Sweden, where we have exemplary labour laws, health and safety legislation and strong unions, it has not been deemed necessary to establish management systems or monitoring these things. Everything works well anyway. But the lack of a management system brings down our points, so we plan to establish one, such as ISO 45001, which is the management system for health and safety. But I can’t say when it will happen; nothing has been decided yet.”

Per points out that Proton Engineering has a long tradition as an industrial company with
strong roots in the local community. “The people in and around the company are extremely important to us, and we have a long tradition of offering our employees growth opportunities, both in the form of CPD and in the form of new tasks. We also work closely with the region’s universities and host at least one degree project a year.”

During the course of the year, Proton Engineering conducted an energy audit and identified opportunities to save energy and reduce our climate impact.

“The result is that we are currently replacing our old T8 fluorescent tubes with energy-efficient LED lighting. We have made a major investment in recovering heat from automatic welders and can use the heat to heat the building. The next step is to see what opportunities there are around our compressors and recover waste heat. Other improvement opportunities that Proton Engineering has identified are in IT security, although this is an issue related to group-level management. From a financial sustainability perspective, Proton Engineering, like many other companies, faces major challenges.

“There is great uncertainty, with worries about rising inflation and prices of everything from materials to energy and transports. This is unfortunately a situation we can’t remedy just by saving; for us it’s about working efficiently and balancing our costs according to what is reasonable. We have to find a way to ensure that everyone in the supply chain, all the way to the end customer, has the opportunity to generate a profit and we can share the increased costs. This is a giant challenge now, for us and everyone else.”