FOCUS ON SUSTAINABILTY resources . And with the motto of ‘ rethink ’, we ’ re continuously questioning our habits and processes .”
The principles of the circular economy are also applied at KHS , observed Kai Acker , CEO of the Dortmund systems supplier of beverage filling and packaging machinery .
We need to answer the question of how our systems can positively influence our customers ’ carbon balance throughout the machinery ’ s entire life cycle , emphasized Kai Acker
“ For us , circularity is especially relevant from many different perspectives . We can consider the containers made or filled on our machines to be circular , for instance . This applies to PET that can be recycled as often as required , as long as the necessary infrastructure is in place and where we develop ways of saving more and more material . It also refers to returnable glass bottles that can be kept in circulation for as long as possible through return , washing and refilling ,” he explained .
“ Regarding secondary packaging , here we commit under the motto of ‘ less is more ’ i . e . our Nature MultiPack where we can do away with outer packaging materials entirely using a few dots of adhesive . Other aspects , and ones which I believe are even more important for us , concern our machines : they are made of steel which ensures that they have a long service life and are fully recyclable even after being scrapped . First and foremost , however , we ’ ve spent years cutting down on the amount of energy and resources consumed by our equipment and reducing its carbon footprint . Take our Innofill Glass DRS ECO , for example , that can save up to 60 % in CO₂ . We also think outside our ecological box by making sure that our machines are rPET-compatible . And we focus on economic targets such as long-term overall equipment effectiveness ,” he added .
Acker joined KHS as its CEO at the end of 2018 . One of his first tasks was to thoroughly question the previous corporate strategy and develop it further . The result of this process presented at the beginning of 2019 was KHS 2025 that includes ten core measures . Lots of these topics are reflected in a similar form in the new group strategy .
“ During the course of the project , we found that our objectives largely match those of Salzgitter . And we had lots of good discussions that confirmed we were on track in focusing on profitable new products that appeal to customers and generate the corresponding added value on the market ,” he said .
Acker will now further develop the KHS strategy in an iterative process up to the end of 2024 and – in accordance with group targets – continue this until 2030 .
Above : The KHS Innofill Glass DRS ECO glass bottler saves on energy and resources when filling beer beverages and soft drinks .
Drivers and challenges
For the other subsidiaries , with their focus on steel , the challenges of the circular economy are greater , as Groebler acknowledged .
“ I ’ d like each individual employee to be open to the changes that result from the transformation of Salzgitter AG , to actively contribute to these and treat them as an opportunity ,” he said .
Offshore wind energy from EnBW for the Salzgitter Group .
Salzgitter AG
Salzgitter AG is divided up into the ‘ Steel Production ’, ‘ Steel Processing ’ and ‘ Trading and Technology ’ business units . Within the group , around 25,000 people produce rolled steel and tube products , further process and trade in these goods around the world or work in specialist machinery and plant engineering .
Together with DESMA Schuhmaschinen and DESMA Elastomertechnik , the KHS Group forms the Technology Business Unit that makes up about 14 % of group turnover ; around 90 % of this (€ 1.245 billion ) is yielded by KHS with its almost 5,000 employees . The KHS Group is one of the world ’ s leading manufacturers of filling and packaging systems for the beverage and liquid food industries . It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Salzgitter AG corporation .
Working with Salzgitter AG subsidiary Mannesmann Grossrohr GmbH , DB Cargo is keeping Gasunie Deutschland supplied with the pipes it needs to connect the Brunsbüttel LNG import terminal to the combined north west Europe gas network .