K&M decorated at the 2006 Environmental Award

König & Meyer was decorated at this year’s environmental award for its diversified environmental protection activities.

„The Baden-Württemberg companies are world class, not only at manufacturing of high-tech-products. Also, in in-plant area environmental protection they show top performances“, Tanja Gönner, minister of the environment, said in Stuttgart on the occasion of selecting the winners of the award. This year a total of 20 companies in industry, commerce, trade, and services were decorated.

„In future competitiveness of companies will be decided more and more by their ecological productivity“, Gönner says. According to her, only the ones succeeding in getting high outputs of innovative products and services  by using as little energy and raw materials as possible will be competitive in the long run. The companies who received the environmental award are good examples, heading our entire economy.

On the basis of the documentation filed for application, and a visit on location the jury members got a profound impression of the company’s environmental protection activities. Here, the exemplary and holistic implementation of the environmental protection in all areas, as well as the excellent integration of the staff were acknowledged especially, as well as the many years of König & Meyer’s efforts to save water – during the past 26 years the annual water consumption was reduced from 106 million liters to 6 million liters (i.e. by 96%) by continuous implementation of technical and organizational measures.

To K&M, environmental protection has been a key issue for a long time. As early as during the 70ies forward-looking decisions were taken, like the installation of a state-of-the art waste water treatment plant, or changing from pyroxylin varnish to powderized varnish for surface refinement.
All of the company’s environmental activities were coordinated in an environment committee which meets on a regular basis. Since 1998 K&M has been validated in accordance with the EC environment audit regulation, to be followed by certification according to the world-wide acknowledged ISO 14001 standard in the year 2000. Amongst other things, the company engages in the IHK (CCI) Heilbronn environmental protection working committee, and in the Hohenlohe model, a union of medium sized companies thriving for a sustained development. In addition, energy is a focal issue. Regarding this, König & Meyer is participating in the model project „In-plant energy optimization“  sponsored by the state of Baden-Württemberg, where, in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institut für System- und Innovationsforschung (ISI) possibilities for energy saving were identified and implemented already to a large extent. For example, an important measure was the installation of modern energy-efficient lighting systems.

Gabriela König, the managing director, interprets the ministry of environment’s acknowledgement as being a confirmation of König & Meyer’s company policy: „Right from the beginning we tried to be economical in regard to resources”. As an example, she quotes the “long life of the K&M – products which is almost a hazard to sales”, or the Latest investments, such as the acquisition of a powder coating system, or of a tubular laser system. „Only by refurbishing in such way we succeed in optimizing the use of materials, and, as a consequence, to consequently reduce the effects of our manufacturing procedures on the environment“.
However, the company is not about to rest on its laurels – König & Meyer is aiming for new, ambitious environmental goals again, according to its latest statement on environmental protection. For example,  the upcoming renovation of plant I shall include the optimization of the energy saving provisions. “If possible, we would like to change to an alternative heat supply, such as wood pellet heating”, Gabriela König remarks.
In addition, the company wants to support the environmental awareness of its staff, like the sponsoring of ride sharing to the plant. „We give each pool a petrol voucher and a dedicated parking space. We hope that this is an incentive for new car pools to be formed “, the managing director says.

The public award of the environmental prize is scheduled for December 12, 2006, at the Neues Schloss in Stuttgart and will be hosted by the minister of the environment.

Committee on Environment (f. l. t. r.): Helmut Heitmann, Heiko Wolz, Martin König jr., Uwe Kempf, Reinhard Müller, Gerhard Heitmann, Rolf Malbrich. Not on the photo: Alfred Grein