Social Engagement

As a globally active machine construction company, KraussMaffei is aware of its social responsibility. For this reason, we engage socially in projects on a global scale and intensely in the surroundings of our facilities. The responsibility for and control of our social engagement is also decentralized. This produces local proximity to the projects we promote.

At the same time, KraussMaffei provides aid in the event of acute catastrophes and stands up for those who need help in underdeveloped regions. This is why we regularly donate to SOS Children's Villages, for example.

By the same token, it is important to us to encourage our employees to take personal initiative. We are thrilled about our strong engagement in social projects. The project carried out in early 2016 to integrate refugees in Munich is a wonderful example of this, as is the active participation in the charitable soccer tournament "Charity Company Championship 2016."

The associated companies of KraussMaffei are dedicated furthermore to national and international education and training projects related to machine construction and plastics technology. We work very closely with colleges and universities in order to give talented young people the opportunity to apply their knowledge practically with innovative projects. We also specifically support initiatives and colleges and universities in order to advance research in Germany, for example the Chemnitz University of Technology with regard to lightweight construction.

Our donations only go to projects and organizations with added social value. This also means that we do not give donations to political parties or organizations.

KraussMaffei cooperates with national and international educational institutions to promote young talent, advance science and research, and continue developing the group's own process and processing knowledge, as well. Below, you can see a selection of our cooperation partners with whom we work in close collaboration:

KraussMaffei has supported national and international educational institutions and research projects for many years. For example, since 2012, the company has promoted the endowed professorship of "Textile Plastic Composites" at the Chemnitz University of Technology, a part of the InnoProfile-project „PaFaTherm II" that is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
KraussMaffei is moreover an active participant in research and science at the Chemnitz University of Technology. In recognition of their longstanding dedication to the Chemnitz University of Technology, Prof. Jens Liebhold, among others, was named an honorary professor in July 2013. Prof. Liebhold actively contributes to the Chemnitz University of Technology with lectures and internships in the "Integrative extrusion technology" course of the Lightweight Construction master degree program.
What's more, KraussMaffei offered critical support in the German federal excellence initiative MERGE. The initiative conducts research into lightweight structures that save on energy and raw materials, especially for the automotive industry. The MERGE Lightweight Technology Center at the Chemnitz University of Technology was inaugurated in October 2015 and consists of three interconnected buildings with numerous machines for plastics processing.

Additionally, KraussMaffei Extrusion has cooperated with the Institute of Polymer Extrusion and Compounding (IPEC) at the Johannes Kepler University Linz since March 2016. IPEC concentrates on topics such as machine development, process technology, and recycling and compounding, which refers to as the processing of plastics to specifically optimize their properties. Improving production and resource efficiency through smart production technologies is also at the fore of its research.
In addition, KraussMaffei Extrusion sees cooperation with the renowned university as an important contribution to expanding process understanding for processing polyolefins (semi-crystalline thermoplastics). This cooperation allows the results of experimental trials to be available for future industrial needs.

Early in 2017, our American subsidiary in Florence, Kentucky donated an all-electric injection molding machine with integrated LRX 150 robot to Schoolcraft College. Schoolcraft College is based in Livonia, Michigan and either educates its students directly for the labor market or prepares them for a degree course at university. We offer students of the college and the neighboring universities internships and cooperations for final dissertations. In addition, we are often on site for careers fairs and to introduce young people to the plastics industry.