China

KHS in Asia: Kunshan

KHS has been represented in China since 2005. During the reporting period a new factory was opened and production moved to Kunshan in the Chinese province of Jiangsu. Operations commenced in October 2021.  

At the new factory we concentrate on the manufacture of PET filling and packaging systems. We also offer a wide range of consultancy services for sustainable plastic container systems and solutions. KHS is also present on the local market and able to directly supply all of the relevant sales services to the same. 

The new production site attaches great importance to efficient, safe and resource-conserving production processes that comply with the KHS Group’s quality and process specifications. In China a number of state requirements and regulations are also accounted for in the site’s quality processes. We use a security consulting company to help keep us up to date with the latest state provisions. Our quality processes include regular security checks and compliant implementation of specifications. These tasks are performed on site and are key prerequisites that allow us to supply the markets and regional customers according to KHS’ demand for quality. 

Sustainability and safety at the factory  

In order to incorporate ever-increasing demands into our business processes in good time, we train our management and employees regularly based on state requirements and our KHS guidelines. We have set up a dedicated office run by an expert who is solely responsible for issues of sustainability and safety and is familiar with all aspects of the local rules and regulations. With a view to further improving sustainability and the use of resources, we monitor our plant’s energy consumption and have drawn up a waste management program in accordance with Chinese environmental regulations.  

We also include our suppliers in this program so that we reduce the amount of packaging waste and make use of returnable transport containers. We currently have four charging stations for electric cars and are gradually increasing this number. A further measure we have adopted to cut our carbon emissions is to provide shuttle buses for our employees.  

We have involved and trained our management regarding occupational health and safety based on the established compliance guidelines. It is extremely important to integrate procedures into daily production processes that offer the greatest possible occupational health and safety. One of the flagship projects we have established here is our safety first campaign. This sensitizes our workforce on site to potential hazards, enabling them to better identify possible causes of accident independently and make work processes safer through their own commitment. The campaign is based on the specifications and guidelines of the KHS Group. Our local management meets once a month to discuss these issues and initiate further improvements at the factory. Here, we are also in regular contact with company headquarters in Germany in order to draw their attention to local conditions for consideration in the sustainable strategic measures they devise. 

This exchange is also promoted and assisted by annual meetings at a global level. In this way, all of the production sites are familiar with the respective current projects and local targets, with this dialog enabling them to identify common issues.