Koenig & Bauer takes a significant step towards sustainability

12 December 2022: For the past 204 years, the Germany based Koenig & Bauer Group has been synonymous with innovation and technical progress in the global printing industry and is thus also the world’s oldest printing press manufacturer.

With expansion of its own green energy sources at the company headquarters in Würzburg, Koenig & Bauer is continuing the implementation of its sustainability initiative. There is a photovoltaic set up on the roof of its Customer Technology Centre at Würzburg with an annual yield of around 200,000 kWh. It is the first of several installations that Koenig & Bauer intends to use to contribute to climate protection, while at the same time boosting its own energy autonomy.

Based on the specific greenhouse gas emissions for the German power mix overall, the photovoltaic array will benefit the environment by saving more than 80,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions per year.

The target set within the framework of the corporate strategy ‘Exceeding Print’ is for the group’s production facilities to achieve full carbon neutrality by 2030. The massive investments in photovoltaic arrays will allow Koenig & Bauer to cover a proportion of its power requirements on the basis of sustainable on-site generation. Besides contributing to climate protection, this also aims to boost the level of energy autonomy. The first array is already in use, and more photovoltaic and solar thermal installations are set to follow in the months to come.

Already in summer 2022, a new hot water system that uses solar thermal modules was commissioned to supply Koenig & Bauer’s factory vocational school in Würzburg. More solar water heating systems are currently being installed at the canteen in Würzburg and in other common areas used by employees. In addition to two more photovoltaic arrays that are scheduled for completion at the Würzburg facility this year, concrete plans are also being drawn up to expand green power generation by using photovoltaic installations at the other Koenig & Bauer group locations.

Koenig & Bauer Kammann offers printing systems for decorating hollow containers made from glass, plastic and metal. Along with screen printing, Koenig & Bauer Kammann’s precise and flexible transport systems can also be equipped with hot-stamping, digital printing and decorating processes. Directly decorated glass containers are mainly used for cosmetics, perfume and spirituous beverages in the top price class.

Koenig & Bauer subsidiary Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint is the technology and market leader in metal decorating, offering a complete service from initial draft to printed, coated and stacked sheets including peripherals. Alongside Metalstar multicolour presses available with inline coaters and thermal or UV dryers, Koenig & Bauer MetalPrint’s product range encompasses specialised materials handling systems, control systems and energy-efficient air purification systems.