10 Finalists of the Intesa Sanpoalo European Cleantech Challenge

The European Cleantech Challenge is part of Intesa Sanpaolo Start-Up Initiative a comprehensive program aimed at start-ups looking for concrete business opportunities. Every few months, a rigorous selection and training process leads the best start-ups to high-profile, technology-specific events called Arena Meetings, where they can pitch to international investors and corporations.

Skipso has partnered with Intesa providing the platform and support to manage this year’s European Cleantech Challenge. We would like to report here the profiles of the 10 startups that have been selected by Intesa’s expert judging panel to take part in this year’s International investor Arena that will see these companies pitch to top investors in Milan, Frankfurt, Paris, London, Boston and San Francisco.

For more information about any of these startups please contact Intesa Sanpaolo or send us an email at info@skipso.com

A+ Sun Systems

A+ Sun Systems is focused on design, production and commercialization of innovative high quality mounting systems for photovoltaic plants. Its mission is to create and apply effective and innovative technical solutions to photovoltaic systems to reach “grid parity”. A+ Sun Systems pillars are innovation and quality. Whether in the office, factory or at the installation site, our team enthusiastically creates and applies innovative technical solutions to better serve you and make your photovoltaic installations more competitive.

Genport

GENPORT is the Italian progressive spin-off of Politecnico di Milano, developer and manufacturer of an advanced, lightweight technology for portable power generation and storage in medical, defense, emergency, telecommunication and industrial applications.

GENPORT combines Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) and Ion Lithium technologies, in order to provide advance power solution to any off-grid external equipment up to 1000 Watt, with superior performance, reliability and satisfy such requirements as long life, design flexibility, high energy density, compact configuration, high cycling, high rate discharge, reducing to zero both noise and emissions and operating in extreme environmental conditions.

GENPORT brings the strong expertise and mutual beneficial partnerships of a value chain which includes companies and academic institutions. Our corporate partners are: Politecnico di Milano, Elemaster Group, Genbee, Petrone Group, SAATI Group.

Pontoon Power

Pontoon Power AS is a Norwegian company, established in 2010. The company’s primary purpose is to develop electric power production based on offshore wave power by means of our patent pending wave power converter, the Pontoon Power Converter (PPC).

Qualisteo

Qualisteo is an eco-innovative start-up company taking an active role in the electricity «smart grid» endeavour.

Its mission is to help electricity consumers take ownership and control of their consumption patterns, thereby managing and reducing their ecological footprint.

Qualisteo has engineered an innovative and patented solution, which makes it possible to measure and tell apart power consumption of multiple devices from a single measurement point. Qualisteo products and services enable cost efficient, non-intrusive and meaningful measurement of electricity flows by usage and efficiency, in any building.

Underground Power

UP’s mission is to become the leader in production of energy harvesting devices based on linear motion. UP aims to develop and market its patented, innovative LYBRA. LYBRA is an energy harvesting device similar to a flat speed bump that recovers energy wasted by vehicle brakes in decelerating lanes, reduces the speed and produces electric energy.

Voltalink

Voltalink develops and commercializes innovative telecontrol solutions for photovoltaic systems

Our solutions have been designed to achieve the highest communication reliability while keeping high system scalability to address either small photovoltaic installations or big photovoltaic farms.

Voltalink products are “plug & play” to assure easy installation procedures and allow our customers  to remotely monitor their photovoltaic systems through easy and secure web access.

Windesign

Windesign is an innovative micro wind generator system.

Black Silicon Solar

Black Silicon Solar has developed a technology for improving the absorption of light in silicon solar cells. Its unique technology increases the efficiency of solar cells in a cost-efficient way, making solar cells significantly cheaper.

Clean Power Tech

Clean Power Tech has developed a patented low-emission diesel engine that allows substantial reduction in production, maintaining high-engine efficiency.

EnerCloud

EnerCloud is a cloud-based decision support system for energy efficiency: data collection from the field, sophisticated analysis and simple presentation.

 

 

The 10 startups were also awarded €100,000 worth of Autodesk Digital Prototyping software. Autodesk was in fact a sponsor of this year’s European Cleantech Challenge.

The Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program supports early-stage clean technology companies by providing design and engineering software that accelerates their development of solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

Cleantech Grants, Awards, Incentives – Monthly Update (October 2011)

The following grants and incentives have been added to the Skipso’s Cleantech grants database:

•  12 new Cleantech Grants, Awards and Incentives
•  Focus: 4 R&D Grants,  3 Prizes / Awards, 1 Loan, 1 Installation Project, 1 Production Incentive, 1 Start-up Grant, 1 Other
• 15 grants and awards approaching application deadline
• The Skipso funding section has reached 906 Cleantech grants, awards, incentives, all are accessible for free on: http://www.skipso.com/grants/grid.html

View this document on Scribd

 

European Nanochallenge and Polymerchallenge 2011 – Live Now!

by Carlo Soresina (Co-founder, Skipso)

I would like to draw your attention to the European Nanochallenge and Polymerchallenge 2011 - an international business plan competition aimed at identifying and supporting the best, most innovative nanotechnology and polymers startups around the world.

The competition is organised by Intesa Sanpaolo (Italy’s largest bank), Veneto Nanotech (the Italian Cluster of Nanotechnology) and IMAST (the Campania-based Technological District on Polymeric and Composite materials).

Skipso Solutions is the technology platform supporting this great initiative.

 

Each challenge offers the chance to win a €300,000 cash and services award.In addition, for all the shortlisted startups there is the opportunity to take part in a unique end-to-end program that will include the following:

• Access to an international Investor Roadshow covering European and worldwide locations such as Milan, London, Frankfurt, Paris, New York, San Francisco
• Widespread media coverage
• Mentoring services
• Access to a wide network of partners (business incubators, software corporations, science parks, business coaches) providing key services and resources

The competition is free to join and entries can be submitted by registering on the challenge website. More information on eligibility, selection criteria and submission guidelines are available on the site.

Please note that the deadline for registration is September 23rd  and for submission, September 26th 2011.

I would be most grateful if you could forward this to anyone you think might be interested in participating.

Autodesk to Provide European Cleantech Challenge Finalists with €120K worth of Free Software

The European Cleantech Challenge team is excited to announce a partnership with Autodesk, a world leader in Digital Prototyping. As part of the partnership, Autodesk will provide the 12 European Cleantech Challenge finalists with up to €120,000 worth of its industry-leading software applications for free. The Autodesk software is designed to support Cleantech companies in optimizing their product development process, allowing them to significantly reduce the number of costly physical prototypes.

“We are glad to announce the new collaboration with Autodesk. The European Cleantech Challenge aims to identify the most promising European Cleantech startups and to provide them with everything they need to grow their business: mentoring, coaching and especially access to a network of top investors. The Autodesk software package is certainly another great service we can add to the toolbox” said Livio Scalvini, Head of Innovation at Intesa Sanpaolo.

“Europe is in the vanguard of many fascinating developments in the field of alternative energy sources and operates some of the world’s most ambitious programs to promote clean technologies. It is only a logical step for Autodesk to partner with Intesa Sanpoalo and their European Cleantech Challenge“ said Erwin Burth, Director of Industry Development at Autodesk.

We would like to remind you that the submission deadline for this year’s European Cleantech Challenge is July 30^th. If you haven’t done so yet, join the challenge today, create an account and submit your entry following the instructions. It only takes a few minutes!

The European Cleantech Challenge Team

About Autodesk

A world leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software, Autodesk enables customer innovation by delivering the broadest product portfolio for the digital design, visualization, and simulation of real-world project performance. The Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program supports early-stage clean technology companies with design and engineering software they can use to accelerate their development of solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

For more information visit www.autodesk.co.uk/cleantech or www.autodesk.de/cleantech.

About the European Cleantech Challenge

The European Cleantech Challenge is a new business plan competition aimed at identifying and supporting the best, most innovative cleantech startups in Europe.

The competition is part of Intesa Sanpaolo’s ‘Startup Initiative’ and will offer winners extensive training, mentoring and opportunities to present their companies to investors in a series of ‘Arena Meetings’ to be held in Milan, Paris, Frankfurt, London, New York and San Francisco.

The competition is free and entries can be submitted by registering on the challenge’s website. Please note that the deadline for submissions is 30 July 2011.

Cleantech Grants, Awards, Incentives – Monthly Update (July 2011)

This month on Skipso:

• 16 new Cleantech Grants, Awards and Incentives added to Skipso’s funding database

• Focus: 1 Business Plan Competition, 6 Prizes / Awards, 6 Research & Development Grants, 2 Installation Projects, 1 Start-up Grant

• 20 grants and awards approaching application deadline

The Skipso funding section this week has reached 886 Cleantech grants, awards, incentives, all are accessible for free on Skipso’s funding section.

Skipso Monthly Digest – Cleantech Grants, Awards, Incentives (July 2011)

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“Greener Driving in the City” – Why Digital Design Can be the Catalyst

Few European countries are more focused on green issues than Sweden. The country ranks highly in international tables measuring environmental health, water quality and low air pollution and national emissions are low, whether calculated per person or per unit of GDP, compared with most other developed countries. This is largely due to the use of bio-fuels and of nuclear and hydro-electric power in electricity production.

Despite this, Sweden still has no fully-coordinated sustainable transport strategy. Swedish cities are now beginning to put in place plans for mobility management. In common with many other European countries, Sweden faces the challenge of developing innovative, sustainable vehicles ideally suited for use in urban environments.

Unlike many of these countries, however, particularly those in Southern Europe – Spain, France and Italy, for example, Sweden does not have a strong tradition of small lightweight vehicles, which are typically more fuel efficient and environmentally friendly than their heavier counterparts. At least partly on account of the cold climate, larger cars have typically been seen by Swedes as more comfortable than smaller vehicles. Yet, as Sweden’s population increases and traffic congestion problems grow in major cities like Stockholm, the populace is becoming increasingly receptive to new imaginative ways of addressing these issues.

Vehiconomics, a Stockholm-based automotive technology start-up, believes that the era of large heavy vehicles is coming to an end and that there is a gap in the market for a new approach to urban motoring in Sweden.

Today, with the help of high-quality digital design software from Autodesk, Vehiconomics is developing an innovative solution to this problem in the form of its pioneering new three-wheeled ultra fuel-efficient lightweight vehicle, Smite.

Addressing target groups

The company is targeting two key market groups with Smite. The first consists of young environmentally-conscious people living in the city who want to travel frequently but at a low cost. The second comprises individuals, usually living alone in the suburbs, who commute short distances in large vehicles.

Vehiconomics believes that both groups will be attracted by Smite. Most small cars in Sweden still weigh more than a ton, are constructed of aluminium and are relatively expensive to run. Priced at under US$5,500, Smite will debut in gas, ethanol and all-electric versions and will have a top speed of 90 kilometres an hour. The vehicle is built from lightweight composite materials. A Smite chassis weighs 35kg and a full vehicle body 10kg, a reduction in vehicle weight of around 90% on a typical mid-sized car. And Smite is energy efficient too. Its gas engine version draws about 0.15 litres of fuel for each 10 kilometres travelled compared to a standard mid-sized car, which consumes about 0.80 litres over the same distance.

In addition, Smite is built with safety in mind. As Vehiconomics’ co-founder, Sohrab Kazemahvazi explains, “unfortunately, there is a misguided perception in the marketplace that smaller cars are inherently more dangerous. In fact, lightweight vehicles can be just as safe if not more so than standard cars. The strong construction and energy absorption zones of Smite reduce the chance of serious injury in the event of a collision.”

Smite will initially be targeted at drivers in the Swedish capital, Stockholm. It is scheduled for launch in 2012.

The Role of Design Software

To support its innovative development programme, Vehiconomics realised that it needed high-quality digital design technology. As a start-up business, the company’s primary focus from launch was to keep costs down. It could not afford to spend significant sums on sophisticated software solutions. In its earliest days, therefore, it used basic graphics tools to model its designs. The approach met Vehiconomics’ needs initially. But as the types of model the company was looking to produce grew in size and sophistication, the requirement for higher-quality digital design software did too. So when Vehiconomics was offered an opportunity to join the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program, it jumped at the chance.

The program provides Digital Prototyping software, including Autodesk Inventor, to clean technology start-ups to design, visualise and simulate products before they are built, to accelerate time to market and to innovate more rapidly. Clean tech companies in Europe, North America and Japan who can benefit from Autodesk’s 3D design technology are invited to apply to receive up to €120.000* (US $150,000) worth of software for only €50 (US $50).

Since joining the programme, Vehiconomics has been steadily migrating its mechanical engineers and CAD designers over to Autodesk Inventor. As Kazemahvazi explains, “Inventor allows us to model all of the key elements of any vehicle from the chassis to the load bearing parts. It also allows us to carry out simple mechanical analysis of the design.”

Autodesk Showcase builds on these benefits, enabling Vehiconomics to make realistic renderings or pictures in different environments. According to Kazemahvazi, “This is important because we cannot afford to physically manufacture multiple design models using different colours and different vehicle types. Bearing in mind these constraints, it is great to be able to use the computer tools to make different types of patterns for the body, for example. We can do it all digitally rather than having to go through the expensive and time-consuming process of making a wide array of physical models.”

Vehiconomics’ long-term success is dependent on its ability to engage key stakeholders in its solutions development process. Showcase has an important role to play here also in supporting the marketing drive both to key sources of private funding, including venture capitalists and other potential investors, and to customers and prospects. Using Showcase helps Vehiconomics to engage with these groups by enabling the company to transform digital prototypes into highly realistic imagery and immersive interactive presentations. Vehiconomics has also made use of Showcase to add colour and edge to its public relations programme by producing high-quality publicity images for its press and media relations campaigns.

Bright Future

Demand for lightweight vehicles is on the rise globally as arguments highlighting the environmental and business benefits of the approach become ever more compelling to automotive manufacturers. Pioneering automotive technology companies like Vehiconomics are in the vanguard of this new movement. If they are to successfully ride this wave of innovation, they will need more than just an imaginative concept and the money to develop it. They will also require high-quality digital design technology with which to realise their vision. That is one of the main reasons why Vehiconomics, through the innovative, eco-friendly Smite, is well placed to capitalise on the trend towards more environmentally efficient vehicles.

*Value is based on up to five commercial licences of each application.

European Cleantech Challenge 2011 Live!

Are you a European Cleantech startup working on a disruptive product or technology? Join the first

 

Part of Intesa Sanpaolo’s Start-Up Initiative, the European Cleantech Challenge is a yearly business plan competition aimed at supporting the best cleantech startups from European countries.

In a unique end-to-end program Cleantech startups benefit from coaching, networking and direct contact with international investors through a series of focused events around the world. The initiative gives businesses the skills, connections and capital they need to go to market and scale.

The European Cleantech Challenge involves three phases:

Phase 1. Participants will complete the submission form and submit any relevant attachments from the dedicated competition room (you can access it from the ‘Challenge’ section of the website). The deadline for submissions is set as midnight (GMT+1) on Saturday 30 July 2011.

Phase 2. Selected startups will be invited to complete a more detailed business plan. Please note the following key dates for Phase 2:

➢ 20-21 September: bootcamp session. 30 startups take part in training sessions with top US investors Maverick Angels
➢ 22-23-26 September: one to one sessions. 30 startups receive personalize mentoring
➢ 27 September: deal line-up. 30 startups pitch to a group of selected investors
➢ 29 September: Arena Meeting. 12 selected startups attend first Arena Meeting

Phase 3. Following the bootcamp sessions, selected finalists will take part in the international roadshow (London, Frankfurt, New York and San Francisco are the confirmed locations). The first Arena Meeting will be held on 29 September 2011. Dates for subsequent international meetings to be defined.

Good luck with your submissions!

How Autodesk Helps Novacem Create Carbon Negative Cement

Cement holds the building and construction industry together. Globally, the cement market is worth around £100bn and the industry supplies 2.9bn tonnes of cement to support global economic development every year. This is set to grow to 5bn tonnes a year by 2030, mainly due to rapidly increasing development needs in India and China.

However, the environmental impact of this huge industry is equally significant. Figures show the cement industry contributes 5 per cent of the world’s CO₂ emissions, making it one of the biggest polluters. Cement plants are large CO₂ sources, producing 1-3 megatonnes per year, equivalent to around half the emissions of a medium coal-fired power station. Mitigating emissions in the cement industry needs to be an important part of any overall strategy to meet global emission reduction targets.

The production of 1,000 kg of cement emits approximately 800kg of CO₂, 50 per cent comes from the release of CO₂ bound to the main raw material limestone; 40 percent from the combustion of fossil fuels needed for the main chemical reaction and the remainder from electricity use and transport.

In an effort to reduce emissions, the cement industry is working to adapt its processes. This includes the reduction of clinker (by partially replacing it with materials such as slag, limestone and fly ashes); the partial use of alternative fuels; and energy efficiency techniques. Yet all of these steps to address environmental impact will only have incremental impact on the cement industry’s emissions.

Novacem’s Solution

Novacem is developing a solution, which has the potential to significantly reduce the cement industry’s CO₂ output. The company is currently using Digital Prototyping software from leading vendor Autodesk, including, most prominently, the AutoCAD Plant 3D solution, to help it achieve its goals.

The firm, which was launched in 2007 as a spin-out from Imperial College, London, is developing a carbon negative cement and related cement-making process, which has the potential to revolutionise the industry. Novacem was recently listed on the Global Cleantech 100, drawn up by the Cleantech Group in conjunction with a 60-person international panel of experts to highlight the most promising private clean technology companies from around the world.

Meeting the Challenge

The emissions from the present cement industry, based on the production of Portland Cement, arise from two principal sources. Firstly, calcination of limestone (Calcium Carbonate) releases the carbon stored in the limestone. Secondly, the energy needed to achieve the necessary temperature (c. 1,400^o C) and to grind the clinker produced by calcination requires significant amounts of fossil fuel.

Instead of being based on limestone (calcium carbonate), Novacem’s cement is based on magnesium oxides and carbonates, which are produced from naturally occurring magnesium silicates raw materials. So there is no stored carbon in the raw material to be released during processing. It is believed there are magnesium silicate reserves of more than 20 trillion tonnes. The Novacem process requires temperatures of around 700^o C, which means that low carbon or carbon neutral fuel can be utilised. Finally, the Novacem process produces a magnesium carbonate compound which absorbs CO₂ during production, and which is included in the final cement composition. Inclusion of this magnesium carbonate in the composition means that an already low-carbon production process can become carbon negative. Overall, the Novacem process could reduce emissions by 850kg per tonne of Novacem cement used instead of traditional cement.

Pilot Plant

Novacem is already operating a laboratory pilot plant which is continually being upgraded. To support development and upgrades, Novacem is using Autodesk design software provided through Autodesk’s Clean Tech Partner Program. Novacem uses the software to provide a template design which will be used to develop engineering drawings, and it is also making use of the tool to do digital design, supporting fine tuning and cost control.

An important element of using the Autodesk design software is to visualise the systems before they are physically built and installed. Virtual realisations of the plant with walk-throughs and three dimensional representations can be developed which not only help design work but also help to provide images to third parties such as investors, partners, and planning, environmental and safety agencies. AutoCAD Plant 3D brings modern 3D design to plant designers and engineers to help streamline the placement of piping, equipment, and support structures, reducing complexity and evaluating different designs quickly and easily. As part of the programme, Novacem has been working with recognised AutoCAD Plant 3D consultants who are supporting Novacem in training its engineers to use the programme efficiently.

The Clean Tech Partner Program program supports early-stage clean technology companies by providing design and engineering software that accelerates their development of solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. Clean tech companies in North America, Europe and Japan who can benefit from Autodesk solutions for Digital Prototyping are invited to apply to receive up to €120,000* worth of software for only €50. To find out more, including how to apply, visit www.autodesk.co.uk/cleantech.

Future development

With the help of Autodesk software, Novacem will continue to upgrade its existing production capacity and scale up to the next stages towards commercial production. Throughout this process, Digital Prototyping technology will be key in enabling Novacem to digitally design, visualise and simulate how the planned automated control systems will work under real-world conditions before they are built and installed. This approach allows for the exploration of range of different concepts. Novacem’s design team will have the freedom to be creative and to try pioneering new ideas in pursuit of new solutions that improve its production process, with the aim of making it the standard for the construction industry.

* Value is based on up to five commercial licenses of each application.

Announcing the 1st Italian Cleantech Summit

Skipso, Envidev and Ambienteitalia.tv, in collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment, are excited to announce the first Italian Cleantech Summit.

The Summit will take place in Rome on June 24th and will bring together top investors, entrepreneurs, academics and government officials from the Italian Cleantech market. Objective of the summit is to discuss the main drivers of the Italian Cleantech market trying to identify threats and opportunities as well as ways to position Italy as a leader in the space. You can register directly from the Summit website (click below). Each registration will be approved by the organizing committee.

At the event we are also unveiling the launch of the first Italian Cleantech Cluster. The platform (powered by Skipso!) aims to become the focal point to foster and showcase Italian Cleantech innovaiton.

 

Why Recycling has Become a PET Topic in the Netherlands – Echotect Uses Autodesk Design Software to Drive Innovative Plastics Recycling

Benelux is among the most heavily industrialised and densely populated regions in the Western world and has a highly developed waste management and recycling sector. The Netherlands, in particular, is widely known as an environmentally conscious nation and has a thriving recycling industry. In the past, however, plastics have been among the least recycled materials in the country. A lack of products being developed using recycled plastics and a shortage of applications generally led inevitably to a lack of demand for recycled plastic material.

This picture is changing. The consumption of plastics is increasing swiftly, with the material growing in popularity in a broad range of manufacturing industries including corrugated paper coating, waterproof shipping containers and other food packaging and garden plastic products such as chairs and fences. .

Increasing demand for plastic packaging, primarily from developing economies; ever tougher recycling targets and pressure to make better use of finite resources is also driving the increase in plastic recycling. The depletion of the ozone layer, increases in harmful gas emissions and growing concern about waste management have further fuelled the market.

To succeed in the competitive recycling sector, manufacturers need to develop innovative solutions that drive sales and profitability. And to do this, they need high-quality design and digital prototyping solutions from software suppliers like Autodesk to enable them to achieve their goals as cost-effectively as possible.

Supporting Innovation

Refillable polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles are one of the fastest-growing and most widely-used forms of plastics packaging in Europe. The most recent data from the European PET bottle recycling association, Petcore, showed that PET bottle recycling exceeded 48 percent last year, representing 1.4m tonnes of post-sorted PET resin.

This is resulting in a growing post-consumer waste problem. While bottles can be reused several times (for various purposes, including for use in school projects and for solar water disinfection, they do eventually degrade which means that they typically end up either being incinerated or in landfill sites.

This presents a significant challenge to the Netherlands to find pioneering ways of reusing the millions of plastic bottles discarded every year– and innovative design methodologies are needed to support new approaches.

Breakthrough for PET Recycling

Nine years ago, Shell, a global group of energy and petrochemicals companies, based in the Netherlands, embarked on a pioneering research programme to find an innovative new way of recycling PET as an alternative to standard plastic recycling techniques.

The result was Echotect, an initiative from the research laboratories of Shell and commercialised by venture capital company Kenda Capital and after five years of development and investment, the emergence of a brand new technology which offers a cost-effective, recyclable and environmentally sustainable alternative to engineered stone.

Combining quartz, marble and other aggregates with recycled PET, this new technology is expected to revolutionise the engineered stone market, providing manufacturers and consumers with an eco-friendly alternative which meets or surpasses the performance characteristics of traditional products. The new technology has now been fully commissioned following a series of comprehensive tests at Echotect’s purpose-built manufacturing facility in Switzerland.

“The end product is almost indistinguishable from natural stone,” says CEO Stephen Eastwood, “expect that this material is non-porous and 100 per cent recyclable. Our process is non-chemical and easily retro-fitted, making it a commercially attractive choice with unrivalled green credentials. We are not only removing a significant waste product from the environment but transforming it into a thing of beauty which can be used in a wide variety of applications.”

How Design Technology Can Help

Research and development investment is, of course, critical for the development of innovative concepts and ideas, but technology to drive the development process is just as important. Increasingly, innovative recycling businesses are realising that the most effective way to turn concept into commercial reality and achieve competitive edge is by adopting digital prototyping solutions to design and optimise the recycling machines and plants. Digital design tools can help find the right processes to use and to optimise the equipment needed to carry them out.

In this context, the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program is providing significant support for early-stage technology companies in clean tech including firms in the plastics recycling arena that are working to solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. It provides them with digital design and engineering software worth up to 120,000 euros and/or £100,000, for a nominal fee.

For Echotect, the Autodesk program has delivered far-reaching benefits. The company has used Autodesk Inventor Digital Prototyping software to design and engineer equipment that converts shredded PET bottles into durable and sustainable materials. The company relied on AutoCAD P&ID software to create, modify and manage piping and instrumentation diagrams in the recycling plant, while deploying Autodesk Vault was essential to maintain design and engineering documentation of the project lifecycle. Autodesk Showcase software also enabled Echotect to create photorealistic 3D visualizations of how custom modules of their recycling equipment will fit into customer buildings and sites.

“Of course, a picture tells a thousand words,” adds Eastwood, “so digital prototyping is of great value to us in demonstrating the technology and its potential applications in various markets. However, we are very particular about the quality of the end result and ensuring that it does the new technology justice. For that reason, the Clean Tech program and its AutoCAD Inventor, Electrical and Mechanical package has been extremely useful in helping to communicate to our potential customer base and further develop our technology.”

Positive Prospects

With the ongoing development of the plastics recycling market in the Netherlands, clean technology companies are increasingly realising that to achieve competitive advantage they must continuously consider the use of new materials and embrace digital design and manufacturing. Both these factors have helped to drive the success of Echotect.

“We are delighted to be part of the Autodesk Clean Tech Partner Program as digital prototyping was of great importance to us in optimizing our recycling equipment,” said Stephen Eastwood, CEO of Echotect. “Autodesk Inventor and AutoCAD P&ID helped us to design, manage and modify real-time improvements to our equipment and plant, enabling us to focus on providing a high-quality finished product while reducing time to market.”

“Echotect’s alternative approach to plastic recycling has positive implications for many regions that face a growing post-consumer waste problem,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Autodesk Manufacturing Industry Group. “The company is a model of how advantageous Digital Prototyping can be to drive innovation, while saving time and money.”