Petzl - Impact report 2024

Contents

An innovative and

sustainable approach

In order to achieve these high standards, Petzl worked with

Manaslu, an engineering company specialising in the energy

performance of buildings, renowned for its expertise and inno-

vative approach.

“This extension project will become a benchmark, combining

environmental performance, energy optimisation and user

comfort,” says Maxime Lebech, Chairman of Manaslu, who

also talks about ambitious technical choices and really hard

work to cut energy waste as much as possible

Properly analysing needs is crucial in addition to the stan

dard features this must also take into account potential fu

ture changes to the building and systems to enable the site to

evolve over time

Manaslu has developed an advanced methodology for moni

toring the quality of installed equipment combined with unique

tools for simulating testing and processing monitoring data

We worked together to optimise our technological choices

and minimise the environmental impact of each stage says

Philippe Perrier

For Maxime Lebech Petzls decision to commit to such an am

bitious project is really signif icant for future construction and

renovation projects within the group as well as for the regions

industrial buildings

French timber and technological

innovations

The entire structure of the extension was built using certif ied

French timber, and increased insulation and a heat recovery

system have been f itted. “Production equipment generates a lot

of heat, so we included systems to recover this heat and direct it

to the areas that need it,” explains Philippe Perrier.

On the other hand, a passive ‘free cooling’ system, which invol-

ves using outside air to directly cool a room, has been installed.

o complete the thermal regulation system, “high-performance

mechanical ventilation systems have been installed to ensure

constant air renewal while minimising heat loss,” he continues.

Automated brise-soleil (BSO) blinds have been installed to im-

prove light and temperature management depending on the

eason and time of day. Moreover, rainwater will be collected

and used to supply toilet facilities.

These installations provide optimum comfort for employees

while improving the overall energy ef f iciency of the new building.

Photovoltaic panels have been installed on the extension’s roofs.

They should supply part of the building’s energy needs, while

also providing a fresh source of income, since 20% of the so

lar-generated electricity could eventually be sold on.

A centralised management system provides real-time monito-

ring of energy consumption and equipment ef f iciency.

Teams will also receive training to ensure optimum use of the

new facilities: “These technical solutions have to be understood

and mastered by all users to get the most out of them,” says Phi-

lippe Perrier.

Renovation as a heritage duty

“We are planning a second phase to renovate existing buildings

and give them the same features as the extension,” continues

Philippe Perrier.

Renovation will begin after completion of the extension, sche-

duled for April 2025. This promises to be a technical challenge,

since it will have to deal with existing structural constraints. “We

need to completely overhaul the insulation energy systems and

even the interior conf iguration in order to maximise energy ef

f iciency while complying with current standards explains Phi

lippe Perrier

Among o

ther requirements the renovation process must en

sure that the work does not interrupt production activities on

site he adds This means rigorous planning and phased execu

tion to limit the impact on daytoday operations

While this o

ften requires more resources and f lexibility than

building something new the renovation is part of a sustainable

heritage policy that is important for the company We want to

preserve the heritage of this site while preparing it for the future

concludes Philippe Perrier

An ambitious project to meet

growing demand

We needed to modernise and expand our facilities to meet our

industrial ambitions recounts Philippe Perrier The aim was to

double the production of carabiners at the Savoyard plant which

has been in operation since 2002

The energy optimisation project for the 2000 m extension re

presents an investment of 16 million It was about more than just

extending the facilities from the beginning we were talking about

an overall transformation explains Philippe Perrier We wanted

to make Rotherens a model of sustainable construction

The Rotherens plant:

a model of sustainable

construction

Our plant in Rotherens has a twofold sustai

nable ambition of doubling its production of

carabiners and becoming a benchmark for

environmental progress Philippe Perrier Head

of Petzl Buildings in France tells the story of a

successful transformation

Philippe Perrier

Responsible for PETZL

buildings in France