KRONEN upgrades its solar power facility in Kehl for its manufacturing operations. Sustainability has been firmly incorporated as one of the key values of the corporate philosophy of the family-run medium-sized business from the Goldscheuer neighborhood of the German town of Kehl.
The business has increased the size of its solar facility in keeping with this focus. The factory hall, where KRONEN makes food equipment that are distributed all over the world, has solar panels put on its roof. The facility was extended this year, namely in August 2022, after it had previously been installed back in 2016.
With the extension, KRONEN GmbH is now able to supply a sizable percentage of the energy needs for both its locations in Kehl-Goldscheuer and Achern. The company’s facility in Kehl had the new extra panels installed on the roof throughout the summer. The structure is a part of the KRONEN corporate headquarters, which also house the company’s administration division and the manufacturing operations for the food machines that KRONEN produces and exports to about 120 nations worldwide. Since 2020, KRONEN GmbH has also operated a location in the German town of Achern. Its WS Edelstahltechnik division, which serves as a supplier of turned and machined components, is based in Achern.
“It is important to us to act responsibly, and this is also anchored in our corporate values. For us, it means accepting responsibility, not only in terms of our employees and customers but also for the environment,” said KRONEN’s Managing Partner, Stephan Zillgith. “As a company, we place value on contributing to a reduction in CO2 emissions. Our solar plant, which was installed in 2016 and has now been expanded, enables us to generate 200 kW peak. As a result, we ourselves are able to produce a large amount of the electricity that we consume. At present, this is doubly worthwhile given that the costs for purchased energy are increasing significantly.”
The company’s efforts to run sustainably include more than just the solar plant. In 2018, it set up its first charging stations, allowing both its first electric company car and the electric cars owned by its employees to be charged at the same time. When developing its own solutions, KRONEN GmbH defines sustainability as taking into account energy and water usage as well as the robustness of its equipment and systems.