USA

Locally rooted and committed

KHS has been represented in the USA since 1971. In Waukesha in the state of Wisconsin we manufacture products and components for process engineering and filling technology. 

In accordance with KHS standards applicable worldwide, we are continuously reviewing our production processes to see where there is room for further optimization regarding the conservation of resources, protection of the environment and occupational health and safety. All identified areas of potential are systematically prioritized and developed. Our current focus is to implement the KHS Waukesha continuous improvement process (CIP) together with our personnel and make various improvements.  

CIP is tracked under our quality management program that meets international standards. Our factory is certified every three years according to the ISO 9001 management system. We also undergo regular audits in accordance with SEDEX and EcoVadis. Furthermore, we are certified by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the National Board of Boiler and Pressure Vessel Inspectors (NBBI) and the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA). 

Responsibility for personnel and operations 

Our personnel regularly reflect the great significance KHS’ social commitment has for them. Good working conditions, where people are treated with fairness and shown appreciation, effective, relevant tasks and duties and a safe and healthy working environment are paramount for our current and prospective employees. Our Human Resources Department is thus not only charged with hiring qualified personnel but also with developing their skills further and ensuring their loyalty to the company in the long term. This includes offering employees an attractive place of work and taking the changing aspects of the working world into account in conjunction with a person’s work/life balance and family commitments. So that simple tasks are also fairly remunerated, we have introduced a minimum wage system at the site. 

Our plant management is responsible for the direction our production site takes and enables compliance guidelines to be adhered to. We train people who hold positions of responsibility at all levels of management to this end on a regular basis. They have the task of passing on what they have learned to their colleagues. We use these courses to promote our corporate goals and regularly communicate these throughout the site.  

Efficiency and environmental protection at the site 

Our management aims to continuously optimize our production processes and building technology with a view to saving on energy and resources (see below for a list of measures that were introduced during the reporting period). Our plant monitors its energy consumption to see where this can be further improved. The most recent optimizations include us taking delivery of procurements for production directly at the point of requirement in order to reduce transportation in house and thus save fuel for our forklift trucks. The air flow in our production shop has also been rerouted so that it no longer disturbs our welding operations, enabling savings in welding gas to be made. Switching over to energy-efficient LED lighting and making the maximum use of daylight also cuts our energy bills. Less major modifications also add up and help to make our plant more energy- and cost-efficient; installing motion detectors means that the lights only go on in the toilets when they are in use, for instance, again allowing us to save electricity.   

Our clearly defined single-stream recycling processes boost resource efficiency and make a key contribution to the circular economy.  Valuable resources such as paper, cardboard and wood, batteries, printer cartridges, aluminum, carbon and stainless steel and electrical and chemical components are collected separately and correctly recycled. As a large number of wooden pallets, crates and boards regularly accumulate chiefly as a result of the transportation of materials to our plant, we have also developed a recycling system for these resources.  

Firmly rooted and locally committed 

We have been part of the immediate Waukesha community for decades and have direct ties to the local population. We are like a good neighbor and therefore feel it is our duty to help find solutions to urgent and critical local issues. We traditionally support numerous local projects on a charitable or voluntary basis and provide assistance to employees in financial need.