Targeted implementation through environmental management

Local solutions for environmental challenges

Corporate environmental protection is fully integrated into all processes and workflows at KHS, with the focus on saving energy and resources in production. KHS manufactures at ten plants worldwide. The company universally tracks the development of Group-wide standards governing energy and environmental management that at the same time allow decentral regional solutions to be drawn up. This procedure takes local environmental challenges into account. Furthermore, in this way tailor-made measures can be developed and realized for the production processes specific to the respective factory. These include the gradual conversion of lighting to LED technology, for instance, or the constant optimization of heating and air conditioning systems. Regarding actual operation, during production-free periods we shut down our compressed air generators and regularly check all systems for compressed air leaks. We are successively further expanding our building management systems to identify and control flows of materials.

Six of our ten KHS production locations have an energy and an environmental management system in place that are certified according to the internationally recognized ISO standards 50001 and 14001. We are currently testing a suitable procedure that would facilitate the transfer of these management systems to our other four production sites in Brazil, China, Mexico and the USA.

Regular internal audits and monitoring and recertification audits carried out by external, independent bodies confirm the overall effectiveness of our systems of energy and environmental management.

Teamwork and best practices

Energy and environmental management is a central module in KHS’ holistic production system. This is where the strategic targets and objectives for all production sites are specified and the requirements for local implementation defined that encompass the entire production process up to and including installation.

Moreover, at all KHS facilities specialized energy and environment teams ascertain where there is need for improvement and independently devise measures on this basis. These teams are themselves operatively responsible for monitoring and realizing the given measures and for carrying out internal audits. Measures are evaluated and experiences exchanged at regular intersite team meetings. In addition, once a year the site teams meet up with KHS headquarters to jointly push the further development of the relevant guidelines and measures and to re-coordinate a number of other issues such as current consumption and energy targets. This networking and coordination ensure that all plants are always up to date. The individual teams can exchange information on best practices within the individual sites and find out about new tried-and-tested measures that have already been successfully implemented at other factories. By way of supplement to the above, ideas submitted by the workforce through the company suggestion scheme are assessed by the energy and environment team and the respective entrant awarded a prize.

Our central energy-saving targets are set in the annual management review. Superordinate risk and opportunity analyses of our energy and environmental management program are also included in the management review. Besides the results of the review, further key figures and information on goal achievement or tips from the energy and environment team can be accessed on the Intranet by all KHS employees.

For 2025 KHS has formulated concrete reduction targets for our electricity, natural gas, heating oil, water and diesel resources. These targets are regularly monitored by our energy and environmental management system, allowing them to be readjusted if there are any substantial changes in circumstances.