Competition for design students
Fresh ideas for milk
In the 2016/2017 winter semester KHS staged a competition at the Münster School of Design (MSD). Students studying product and communication design were invited to design PET bottles for milk and mixed milk beverages which could be sustainably produced both economically and ecologically and to develop ideas for marketing these bottles.
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Part of the interdisciplinary project, in which 25 future designers promoting eight different concepts took part, was to encourage an exchange with the experts from KHS. At the production site in Hamburg the students were given an insight into KHS stretch blow molder and PET filling system technology and had the current trends in the various categories of milk product explained to them by the Dortmund systems supplier’s dairy team. The future designers responded positively to this practical introduction. “In this project I wanted to see where I could apply my special skills so that potential buyers ultimately have a better overall experience when using the product,” says student Thomas Schäper, for example.
The KHS dairy and PET specialists assessed the concepts together with professors Rüdiger Quass von Deyen and Torsten Wittenberg from the MSD, who also conducted the seminar. Three groups were awarded a first prize and their work presented to an international specialist audience at drinktec in September 2017. The winning designs included a triangular bottle with a cow motif, a school milk bottle with information on the reverse and an innovative and distinctive bottle shape for oat milk.
Milk industry very interested
Prior to the trade show KHS had shown the creative prototypes to some of its customers in the milk industry where they met with great interest, prompting the first clients to think about actually implementing the selected designs.
The design competition has great relevance for KHS. “We’re currently seeing more and more producers of milk products switching their packaging over to PET,” says Arne Wiese, product manager for Bottles and Shapes. “Compared to classic multilayer carton packaging this material provides great freedom of design and is also less expensive to manufacture.” It thus seems logical that a repeat of the competition is being considered.
Change in management
Handover in the Americas
In February 2018 Georg Zuzok (62) will retire, passing on the management of KHS’ Americas market zone to his successor Ralph Pohl (56). ‘KHS competence’ has asked the two men what drives them.
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Georg Zuzok
joined KHS as the managing director of Asbofill and Plasmax when SIG Beverage was acquired. After working in Technology and Sales he was made head of the Americas market zone here in 2010.
What was the greatest challenge in your former job?
The individual processes of what used to be the three independent regions of the USA, Central America and South America had to be adapted to suit the processes in force at KHS headquarters. We also had to satisfy huge growth expectations – which we did with success. Since 2010 we’ve managed to increase sales from €220 million to €350 million.
What did you like best about your job?
Trying to reconcile the many completely different cultures from Canada to Patagonia – for cultural differences are not an obstacle if you treat everybody with respect.
What will you miss?
Of course it’s good that I no longer have to travel so much. On the other hand, my many travels have broadened my personal horizons so much that I’ll soon miss them – just as I will each and every customer and employee.
Ralph Pohl
started at KHS in 2004 as a machine engineer with experience in sales. After three and a half years as manager of the branch office in Austria he has worked as a key account manager since 2010. He has been head of Global Account Management since 2010.
What will be the greatest challenge in your new job?
That’s obvious: continuing to positively develop this excellently managed and very successful market zone. With the support of the motivated and experienced teams at the three regional centers we’ll manage this, however.
What will help you here?
Thanks to my many years working at an international level for KHS I have a good network at the headquarters and in the regions. I’ve also been involved in some of the successful large projects implemented for various global players in South, Central and North America.
What special issues would you like to promote?
Achieving the right balance between the global interests of our headquarters and the necessary freedom of our local companies: both are important factors for success. I benefit from having been the head of a foreign subsidiary.
Duty of Care Award for KHS
Outstanding care
In 2017 the Duty of Care Award in the German SME category went to the systems supplier from Dortmund.
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With this award, for the second time the International SOS Foundation started in 2011 honors companies’ special dedication to the protection of their employees on assignment or traveling abroad – an important issue in view of the growing number of risks to their health and safety as globalization spreads.
The verdict of the jury was that KHS is working hard on creating a safe and stable environment for its mobile personnel for the duration of their various projects. KHS’ duty of care starts at the offer stage, when project locations are examined as to their potential risks and necessary measures agreed upon with the customer or initiated by KHS – specifically with regard to safe travel and accommodation. KHS also carries out extensive audits of its own subsidiaries outside Germany.
The interplay of KHS’ crisis management system and the range of services offered to employees as part of KHS’ corporate health care program helped tip the balance in favor of the KHS concept. “The jury was particularly impressed by our holistic approach,” states Heiko Stötzel happily, head of Health, Safety, Security and the Environment at KHS. He has no intention of resting on his laurels after the award, however. “This prize encourages us to continue to improve our care for mobile employees by participating in project structures in greater depth and with more consistency and further improving processes.”
Award for KHS
Focus on innovation
The NMP Systems website, the KHS subsidiary for future-oriented packaging systems, has won the extremely renowned German Design Award in the Excellent Communications Design – Web category.
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With its clear structure and impressive graphics the website illustrates just how well a company which is today working on the packaging systems of tomorrow can communicate online: through a modern, responsive Internet presence which focuses on packaging technology and informs potential partners about its ready-for-market packaging equipment.
The German Design Award has been awarded by the German Design Council once a year since 2012 and is heralded as one of the most important design prizes worldwide. Its goal is to discover, honor and present unique design trends. The award is given to applicants who embark on new avenues in the world of design in both product and communication design.
“We’re very pleased that the NMP Systems website has been honored with this award,” says Nicole Pohl, senior online manager at KHS. “Our aim was to provide a website which gives interested users quick and very visual access to our products, informing them as to their availability for their branch of industry and about attractive packaging alternatives from KHS.” The German Design Award presented by the prestigious jury proves that KHS has been very successful in this endeavor indeed.