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Sustainability at KUKA
Our quality-, environmental-, energy-, work safety- and information security- policies are an integral part of KUKA's corporate policy and are the basis of our sustainability philosophy. Sustainability is anchored in KUKA’s corporate culture. As a future-oriented company, we strive for sustainability in every area – to the benefit of people and the quality of our products and services. We also do this because we have a responsibility to society and the environment.
Sustainability in all areas
At KUKA, sustainability means responsible business practices aimed at protecting the environment and resources. We have a responsibility to our employees, customers and investors as well as to society and the environment. That is why we work hard to ensure that the company continues to develop sustainably. We strive for sustainability in all areas:
Social policy
Energy, environment and resources
Economy
Social sustainability: for employees and society
For us, the health of our employees is of the greatest importance. We strive to create a flexible and healthy work environment. This includes the compatibility of family and working life. This is why we pursue a sustainable human resources policy and encourage work/life balance through options such as flextime work, telecommuting and the Orange Care daycare center.
With the Orange Care e.V. charitable association, founded in 2012, we also provide a social contribution. KUKA colleagues get involved in their communities through the association and help those in need through donations.
KUKA employees regularly meet for sports activities
Social management systems and certificates
To support sustainable development and protect the health of KUKA employees, we work with quality management systems which ensure the safety of employees on construction sites, for example. This also includes extensive health management. Our current certificates:
OHRIS (Occupational Health and Risk Management System): The occupational health and safety management system of the Bavarian industrial inspectorate and the regional economy is designed to improve the health and safety of employees in the workplace in a cost-effective manner. OHRIS has the goal of actively involving employees in their occupational health and safety.
OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series): This British standard is the basis for the certification of management systems for occupational health and safety. OHSAS 18001 deals with the hazards and risks related to occupational health and safety.
CHAS (The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme): The health and safety accreditation system CHAS is a certification scheme for the construction industry. It serves both purchasers and suppliers as a means of assessing the health and safety competence of a company.
berufundfamilie: The objective of this certificate is for jobs to be organized in a manner that takes family situations and stages of life into account. It aims to improve employee quality of life and increase the efficiency of the company.
Environmental sustainability: efficient use of energy and resources
An ever greater number of people rely on increasingly scarce resources. For KUKA, resource savings and energy-efficient processes which reduce CO2 emissions are particularly important. That is why we are committed to energy efficiency in systems engineering through the use of green technologies and products, such as the energy-efficient KR QUANTEC industrial robot.
The conversion to district heating at the Augsburg site also contributes to environmental sustainability. This has enabled us to reduce our CO2 emissions by 18 percent. Beyond this, we produce some 35,000 kWh of solar energy per year in Augsburg. We already implement innovative environmental concepts for all new construction, expansion and modernization projects at this site – and even go beyond the legal requirements.
In addition, we place great importance on the efficient use of resources and want our products to be disposed of sustainably or to be recycled. This is why we offer our customers a retooling service.
Environmental management systems and certificates
Through our environmental management system and energy management system, we ensure that the approach, extent and impact of our activities, products and services are appropriate. That is why we are continuously improving this management system and working to avoid environmental pollution. Our sustainability certificates in this area:
ISO 14001: The international standard ISO 14001 defines the requirements for an environmental management system. It focuses on a continuous improvement process. ISO 14001 belongs to a set of standards which, among other things, deals with eco balance sheets, key environmental indicators as well as environmental performance evaluations.
ISO50001: The internationally recognized standard supports the establishment of systematic energy management as it relates to energy efficiency and CO2 emissions. KUKA plans to have the energy management system certified according to ISO 50001 in 2016.
VDA 6.4: KUKA is certified in accordance with VDA 6.4 at the relevant sites. This standard refers to suppliers for the automotive industry and was initiated by the German technical inspectorate TÜV.
Economic sustainability: thinking long term and acting responsibly
KUKA lives out the principle of sustainable management: we plan for the long term, advance future-oriented technologies and tackle problems at their source.
That is why KUKA is a member of the sustainability initiative Blue Competence. This initiative aims to publicize the advances of the German mechanical and systems engineering industry in the areas of energy efficiency, production process optimization and recycling.
KUKA is also active in the “Energy and resource-efficient body-in-white manufacture” cooperative project. The goal is for automotive production technology to be designed in a more energy and resource-conserving manner.
Business management systems and certificates
In order to conduct business sustainably, we opt for proven quality management systems in this context too. Our certificates in this area include the following:
AEO (Approved Economic Operator): This certification serves to confirm the reliable security of the international supply chain.
ISO9001: This set of standards deals with quality management systems and fosters mutual understanding at a national and international level.
VDA 6, Part 4: As an automotive supplier, KUKA also has the independent VDA 6, Part 4 certification. This standard provides a means of furnishing proof that the requirements of the automotive industry are fulfilled in areas where no certification according to ISO/TS 16949 is currently possible.
ISO/TS 16949: This standard is intended to improve system and process quality as well as customer satisfaction. The focus is on discovering errors and deficiencies and not just preventing them.
EN/AS9100: This internationally recognized standard serves as a quality management system for the aerospace industry. EN/AS9100 is based on the ISO90001 certification.
ISO13485: There are also set quality management systems for the medical industry. The associated ISO13485 certification defines the requirements for the design and manufacture of medical products.
ISO3834: As a welding expert, this standard is also important for KUKA. It describes the quality requirements for manufacturers of fusion-welded components and assemblies.
Known Consignor (KC): This status allows us as a company to ship air cargo designated as “secure”.
Download our guidelines for health, safety, sustainability and quality here:
