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“ZMDI’s ability to design, develop and produce sensors and sensor-related products that support green excellence through energy savings, fuel savings and reduced carbon emissions and its responsibility and commitment to produce new energy-efficient products by investing €15.0 million in R&D, despite the current economic crisis, make the company the deserving recipient of this award,” explains Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst V. Sankaranarayanan.

Although there are several ways of safe disposals, one of the ways of reducing frequent battery disposals is to extend its lifetime. ZMDI’s application specific standard products (ASSPs) consume less battery power and extend its life.

ZMDI’s notable energy-efficient ASSPs are ZMD21013, ZMD31014 and TSic. These are examples of three different ASSPs (an interface circuit, a signal conditioner and a temperature sensor IC, respectively), but they serve a common objective of saving battery power or extending battery lifetime wherever they are used.

“This has a direct impact on realising a greener environment, as the number of batteries disposed is reduced significantly,” notes Sankaranarayanan. “Lower power consumption results in extended battery life, which ultimately results in fewer disposals. These ASSPs, therefore, have a greater role in reducing the environmental burden rather than only in consuming less power.”

ZMDI’s ASICs have also contributed significantly in reducing the impact of climate change by saving fuel that ultimately results in reduced carbon emissions. The company manufactures a wide variety of ASICs to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) or tier-one companies to make applications, such as power steering or heating ventilation air conditioning (HVAC) systems, more efficient.

ZMDI’s ASICs are used for electrical power steering (EPS), which has replaced the traditional hydraulic steering system in passenger cars. The company’s contribution lies in eliminating the constantly running hydraulic pump, simplifying the manufacturing process and reducing vehicle weight.

“This application supports greater energy efficiency, translating into massive fuel savings,” adds Sankaranarayanan. “Though fuel saving is important for the passenger car owner, the reduced impact of climate change in terms of reduced C02 emissions that follows from such fuel saving is much more significant.”

Other examples of application-related energy efficiencies from ZMDI include: electronic throttle control (saves fuel by managing the engine torque to an optimum) and pressure sensing for HVAC systems (saves electricity by reducing the workload of the compressor).

Its current product portfolio, as well as its plans for the future, suggests that products from ZMDI will consistently be energy efficient. On the anvil are intelligent battery systems, oil condition/quality sensing, power management ICs, wireless metering and energy harvesting.

The Frost & Sullivan Green Excellence Award in Product Innovation is presented to a company that has demonstrated unique product design and development initiatives, which is aligned with a sustainable and environmentally conscious objective within its industry sector. This Award signifies the company's identification of a unique and revolutionary solution with significant environmental benefits, while presenting tremendous market potential simultaneously. Moreover, the Award also signifies that the company's overall business strategy is sound and poised for success.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.