Research and development
Those who see themselves as we do to be a driver of innovation believe that one of their core tasks is research and development. No other field has as much potential to really significantly push the concept of sustainability.
Each and every innovation undergoes a long development before it is introduced to the public. Initial ideas, development, prototype manufacture and tests take time – and the knowledge of just how important a role research and development play in the march of progress. At KHS this takes top priority. We have made it our goal to design and manufacture innovative and sustainable products. This applies both to our lines and machines and to our packaging concepts. In order to build on our past successes and continuously test the feasibility of promising new ideas, we believe it is essential to work together with other experts and scientists. A large number of collaborative research projects with well-known partners from graduate schools and industry is proof of this approach. Here, we apply ourselves to a whole range of different topics: from innovative technologies through functional materials and efficient processes to smart IT systems.
In addition to our self-funded projects we also run many research and development projects which are supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research in Berlin or the European Union.
One special field of attention for us is how the company can gear itself to the future – in other words, how we can come closer to what is known as Industry 4.0. For example, we have researched the Cyber System Connector together with the TU Dortmund; this generates machine documentation which automatically updates itself. At the time of writing we are also launching an EU-funded project on the ergonomics and operation of machines, among others. The aim here is to develop a system of prompted machine operation with active feedback, in particular to reduce the operator’s stress level. The system is to have a voice recognition and speech synthesis feature for interaction with the machine operating panel. The operator can then work directly on the machine with a headset without having to walk back and forth or keep referring to the operating manual. We are committed to research and development from absolute conviction. We are also driven by the fact that in 2015 we were named one of the Top 100 Innovators, an accolade we naturally wish to continue to be worthy of.
