KHS sustainability report: employees and technological progress save on resources

Dortmund, August 25, 2015 – KHS GmbH presents its very first sustainability report.  In it the manufacturer of filling and packaging systems for the beverage, food and non-food industries documents its ecological measures, successes and targets. Its energy consumption dropped considerably in 2014. KHS is also continuously improving its plant engineering for more efficient, resource-saving production. Sensitizing its employees to the cause through training courses and sustainability days has also made a large contribution to this positive result. "Sustainability is the constant driving force behind over 145 years of innovative strength at KHS and thus deeply rooted in our day-to-day activities," says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Matthias Niemeyer, CEO of KHS GmbH. For the very first time KHS' sustainability report for 2014 documents the Dortmund company's commitment in this field. Within two years its electricity consumption dropped by 4.5% and the amount of diesel used by its vehicle fleet sank by 9.3%. By 2020 KHS GmbH aims to save a total of 9.7% in electricity and 25% in diesel. The company is already using 17.7% less gas. The original plan was to cut its gas consumption by 7.6% by the year 2020.

Manufacturing filling and packaging systems while saving resources is just one of KHS' important concerns, however. Innovation also makes a significant contribution to sustainability. "Durable, energy-saving filling and packaging systems also help our customers to produce much more sustainably," stresses Niemeyer.  KHS is helping many companies worldwide to improve their ecobalance with its ideas; even at the product development stage KHS implements measures to improve ergonomics, cut noise emissions and reduce the amount of chemicals, water, compressed air, heat and electricity consumed during operation. The focus is on simpler functions and material savings, this greater clarity resulting in a reduction in the assembly and cleaning effort. Thanks to intelligent recycling processes – such as the one used in the PET stretch blow molding process – its equipment operates more efficiently while saving more resources. One of the very special innovations in 2014 was the 0.5-liter PET bottle with a screw cap for highly carbonated beverages, which weighs just 10.9 grams and is setting new standards within the industry.

Another key component in KHS' system of sustainability management is the targeted sensitization of its personnel. The company is making its employees aware of how they can personally contribute to the cause through training courses and the publication of an energy and environment guide. To this end, KHS staged a number of sustainability days in 2014 which took place for the first time at its factories in Bad Kreuznach and Worms, both in Germany. Here, KHS stressed the value and importance sustainability holds in our private lives, too.

For more information go to www.khs.com/sustainability About KHS GmbH

KHS GmbH is one of the leading manufacturers of filling and packaging systems for the beverage, food and non-food industries. Headquartered in Dortmund, Germany, the company has an international production network with over 4,600 employees worldwide. In 2014 KHS was presented with the Innovation through Research seal. With this the Stifterverband, a nationwide German patron of education and science, honors companies' outstanding commitment to research and development and their particular responsibility to state and society.

KHS GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Salzgitter AG. With around 25,000 employees throughout the globe the German steel and technology group achieved a turnover of over €9 billion in the 2014 business year. Within the Salzgitter Group the KHS Group and two other special machine manufacturers make up the Technology Division and are part of the core business of the MDAX-listed corporation.