Popular but dirty products: Remscheid’s industry seeks recipe for fire and heat

110,000 people live in Remscheid – wedged between Düsseldorf and Cologne and surrounded by a lot of industry. “You see fire and feel heat when you visit the companies,” says Peter Heinzethe city’s head of the building department, in the new “climate laboratory” of ntv. “These are all products that are still in demand.” But steel forges and tool manufacturers know that if they want to continue to sell their goods all over the world in the future, they will have to convert or replace energy systems and forge furnaces. “But that is much more difficult in heavy industry, where metals are heated to high temperatures using gas, than in other sectors, because alternative technologies are not yet available, are not mature or are not economical,” says Heinze. The tool city is nevertheless willing to take on this challenge, with inventiveness and major investments. Not even the strict heating law can dampen the mood of Heinze and the city: “Vaillant is suddenly offering heat pumps. That’s why I am naturally in favor of installing them as often as possible.”

ntv.de: When you talk to the residents of Remscheid, you don’t hear much good: The city has missed the changes, has been left behind, is a dinosaur, many people prefer to move to Cologne and Düsseldorf. Is that true?

Peter Heinze: No. Remscheid is an industrial city. Products are manufactured here, there are many automotive suppliers and a lot of metal industry. Remscheid is the Tool city. When you walk through the companies, you see fire and feel the heat of metalworking. But these are all still sought-after products that are popular and needed on the global market. That is why Remscheid is actually a modern production location.

That is why you have given small screwdrivers to the visitors of the Future Cleantech Festivals distributed?

Yes. These are quality products that last forever. That is what the Remscheid tool industry stands for. They must be continuously developed and that is what is happening. For example, the company Cherries. They make files and planes for carpenters, now with colored wooden handles made from old skateboards. And as we learned at the festival, they also make musical instruments.

The world’s best guitars.

Exactly. It is exciting to see how companies take up such developments and find new customers for their products on a permanent basis. We also have top companies in mechanical engineering where work is carried out relatively smoothly, but these companies are not at the forefront of perception. Remscheid is better than its image.

How do you explain that many Remscheid residents perceive their city differently?

We are of course seeing a shift away from production itself. It is no longer taking place so much in Germany, but rather in China in particular. That is the world’s workshop for all sorts of things. Remscheid is home to niche products or companies that have made the step to high-end solutions, such as in the automotive supply industry. There are also companies that are fundamentally changing. Vaillant, for example, is suddenly offering a different product than before with its heat pump. This is sometimes forgotten. Of course, many companies have dirty production. These issues must be addressed with inventiveness and engineering skills in order to continue to develop the products and to be able to manufacture them locally in the future.

Would you like more support from the federal government in Berlin?

There is a general trend to focus on other things. In the 1990s, the service society was the big topic, now it’s all about digitization. Both are important, but production also plays a major role in value creation. Because the result can be touched afterwards and helps us. It is valuable to implement something by hand and to be able to act haptically. Do we want to preserve this part of our culture? This debate must be had.

Would you like to keep production in Germany?

Remscheid was the large metal forge in Germany. A lot of production has moved away, only the high-quality and competitive companies remain. They now have problems on the market too: their image and of course the difficult competition. This should not be distorted, but more appreciation should be given to the fact that haptic action is a value in itself and attempts should be made to continue to make a good living from it.

But where do you want to take your economy? We are at a festival for clean technologies and old industries in particular need natural gas and have high energy consumption and emissions.

The festival shows that the economy is gratefully taking up the topic. An incredible number of companies from Remscheid support it and get involved. That is why it works so successfully for us, even though the image is different: the topics affect us. Companies like Dirostahl show a great willingness to produce with less CO2. But this is much more difficult in heavy industry, where metals are heated to high temperatures using gas, than in other sectors, because alternative technologies are not yet available, are not mature or are not economical. Dirostahl produces large parts for wind turbines, by the way. Their production is also energy-intensive.

Are companies also investing in Remscheid and new technologies?

All of them. We are a hidden location for inventors, it has always been like that. The NRW Bank has just confirmed to us once again that companies in Remscheid invest extremely heavily in research and development. In the last 15 years, investments have increased by two thirds. Bergisches Städtedreieck With Solingen and Wuppertal we are now at 900 million euros. This is perhaps also a peculiarity of this location: positive things are not communicated to the outside world with the greatest reticence.

Wouldn’t it make sense to talk about it more often? Because there is a mood of sadness about such topics at the moment. Because of climate protection policy, many people believe that Germany is already doomed as a business location.

This point has two hearts beating in my chest. If we want to stay with the cultural change, the keywords are “Heating Act” and “Heat Transition”. They are now reality. I have to explain why the building regulations state that a property must be heated 65 percent with renewable energy. These cost increases are there. This is a huge change process that initially seems very restrictive and puts just as much strain on the construction industry as higher interest rates. That is why we would do well to think again about individual standards. This does not only apply to environmental standards. After the Fire disaster at Düsseldorf Airport Safety standards in residential buildings have been increased incredibly. There are now two escape routes everywhere, which has caused costs to rise enormously. It would make sense for federal and state politicians to see whether they can solve the issue in a way that makes it manageable for the construction industry and building owners.

You are a member of the FDP yourself and, like Berlin, you govern with a traffic light coalition. Is the implementation of the heating law in Remscheid going more smoothly or are you experiencing the same arguments?

More quiet, in any case. We try not to argue in public, of course, and that doesn’t actually happen. But that’s easier in a municipal context than in Berlin, because public awareness is not as strong. Now we are obliged to do heat planning and try to find a solution – a colleague who is a member of the CDU is leading the charge. The following applies specifically to heat pumps: We have a local producer in Remscheid, Vaillant, so I am of course in favor of installing them as often as possible. (laughs).

Then you were probably annoyed that the FDP in particular showed a strong anti-stance towards heat pumps in Berlin?

We have to find solutions locally to establish a sensible energy mix in the buildings. I think it’s a real shame that we don’t yet have answers when it comes to funding, so that investors and owners are quick to buy heat pumps. But regardless of the legal situation, uniform and joint action between the administration and the city council is necessary in order to even realize such projects. That is the crucial thing. We must not allow ourselves to be divided. That may sound banal, but it usually creates satisfaction among citizens.

Clara Pfeffer and Christian Herrmann spoke with Peter Heinze. The conversation has been shortened and edited for better comprehensibility. You can listen to the entire conversation in the “Climate Laboratory” podcast.