Creators, makers, pioneers

More than 12,000 employees, globally active and passionate about innovation — that is the way to achieve both market and technological leadership. We are Körber. Presenting our Group.

To overview

We are Körber

Körber is a leading international technology group that has more than 12,000 employees at over 100 locations worldwide. We are the home for entrepreneurs — we turn entrepreneurial thinking into customers success. Körber AG manages the Group and its four Business Areas: Digital, Pharma, Supply Chain and Technologies.

Insights

The Körber Insights shows the entire spectrum of the Körber world: We give our view of exciting developments and trends, as well as innovations and technologies. We also highlight personalities who drive Körber forward every day with their entrepreneurial spirit and new ideas.

Sustainability

Sustainability

We develop innovative products, solutions and services for a more sustainable tomorrow and introduce the people who make them possible. Find out more in our Sustainability Report 2023.

Online Sustainability Report 2023PDF Sustainability Report 2023

Körber pursues ambitious climate targets

In October 2023, we had the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) verify our commitment to achieving net-zero CO₂e emissions throughout the entire value chain by 2040. We would like to introduce you to some of the measures that will help us achieve this ambitious goal.

Group-wide standards for Ecodesign

We were able to advance our Ecodesign initiative decisively in 2023 after creating a group-wide standard for life cycle assessments (LCAs). Find out more about the first LCAs we implemented and the challenges we overcame.

Data and infrastructure protection

We aim to transform information security into a strategic objective and make it a shared concern for all employees. We provide an overview of the corresponding measures and projects in 2023.

Career

Career

Wanted: team players. The know-how, creativity, and dedication of our employees have made us a successful technology company in Germany and worldwide. Now we want to shape the future — with you! We offer exciting positions for experts, young professionals, university students, and high school students.

To CareerTo the Körber Group job market

"Modern leadership culture has a performance-enhancing effect"

A working climate that promotes innovation, diversity, and the courage to tell uncomfortable truths is more central than ever to a company's success today. In an interview, Gabriele Fanta, Head of Group Human Resources, explains how the new leadership principles at Körber specifically strengthen fruitful collaboration in everyday working life.

What comes after traineeship, Max?

Experience report: After graduating in mechatronics and mechanical engineering, Max Döring became a trainee at Körber. Today, he is Technical Product Manager at our Körber Business Area Pharma.

Procurement and Supply Chain Management

Procurement and Supply Chain Management

Joint future-proof activities are the foundation of sustainable procurement. Körber, as a globally leading technology group, therefore places great value on the optimal purchasing of materials and services.

To our Procurement and Supply Chain Management

Sustainable mission

Employees on a sustainable mission

For Bernhard Gerl, sustainable behavior is a deliberate act and one that he considers to be without any alternative. “We need to think carefully about the footprint we want to leave in this world and the foundation we are laying for future generations with our actions and economies. We must accept this responsibility and translate it into concrete action,” says Gerl, who has been working for more than four years as a project engineer in the design department of the Körber Business Area Pharma at the Markt Schwaben site. Moreover, he has been the moderator of the group-wide Ecodesign think tank since May 2022.

Every two weeks, five experts from different Körber Business Areas exchange ideas on sustainability aspects in machine manufacturing, develop items such as calculation tools for product life cycle assessments, and support developers and engineers in their work by transferring knowledge to help them follow sustainable concepts.

As part of a general review, experts are currently taking a close look at selected machines: “We analyze our machines in pilot projects to determine where there is potential for optimization. We want to use this as a basis for our roadmap, which will define how ecodesign can be implemented in a standardized manner at all of Körber’s Business Areas in the years ahead,” says Gerl.

The think tank’s members all agree that ecodesign can turn sustainability into good business.

Life cycle assessments have shown that 80 percent of a product’s environmental impact can be avoided as early as the development and design phase.¹ This can be done, for example, by designing products that are durable, repairable, material- and energy-efficient, and low in problematic materials. “We have a direct effect on the environment due to the way we design machines and our products,” says Gerl.

"We have a direct effect on the environment due to the way we design machines and our products.”

Bernhard Gerl

Even before his involvement in the think tank, Gerl, a mechanical engineer, paid attention to the environmental properties of the materials and components used when designing components. Out of interest, Gerl learned about ecodesign concepts such as the cradle-to-cradle circular economy principle. He read specialist books, did research on the Internet, and exchanged ideas with friends about what sustainability means in a corporate context. This interaction strengthened his decision to promote sustainability in his work through ecodesign.

Ecodesign guideline: A growing pool of knowledge

“Ecodesign supports awareness of environmental aspects in the development of our products and provides recommendations for action,” says Gerl, who is also active in the Environmental Circle at the Markt Schwaben site of the Business Area Pharma. He used his expertise to work with other think tank members to develop the Körber Ecodesign Guideline, which is being continuously expanded. The guideline is a compact, linguistically accessible handbook that explains basic terms related to sustainability concepts.

Fabian Bäcker, manager of the Center of Excellence Ecodesign and a member of the think tank, was also involved in drafting the guideline. “The guideline is a good thematic basis and provides inspiration on how to make one’s own product developments more sustainable,” says Bäcker, who is in constant dialog with Gerl and the other think tank members. In discussions with colleagues, he has learned that there is still a great need for knowledge. He holds lectures and workshops to inform people about ecodesign and thus embed the concept within the company. It’s a task that is very important to him personally. “I think we need to get serious about our planet now. Because of this, ecodesign offers a great opportunity for our products at Körber. It’s a way for us to do something good and also grow as a business.”

“When I see how the world is developing in terms of climate change, I realize that it’s time to act.”

Fabian Bäcker

Convincing facts

It’s a multi-layered process that certainly faces challenges. Jürgen Dick, who provides the think tank with strategic advice and supports Fabian Bäcker as his supervisor, says: “The implementation of ecodesign is not a process that is completed in six months, but a highly complex topic that we will have to address in-depth and for a long time to come.” This is also a focus of the work that Gerl, Bäcker, and Dick are currently doing. “We want to improve the life cycle assessment of products and help people understand how to do it. It has to become clear that we mustn’t address these processes gradually, but immediately and with great commitment,” Dick says.

“The implementation of ecodesign is a highly complex topic that we will have to address in-depth and for a long time to come.”

Jürgen Dick

Everyone involved agrees that ecodesign can turn sustainability into good business. “However, sustainable action must not be only an image issue or subordinated to business success,” says Gerl. “What is crucial is that we work for a world that’s worth living in. And not just for our generation, but also for future ones.”

Ecodesign in practice

In all areas at Körber, work is proceeding step by step to make products, solutions, and services more sustainable. Two examples from the development department show the opportunities that ecodesign opens up in machine manufacturing.

An energy-efficient layer palletizer

Elaine Lissy, project manager in the Körber Business Area Supply Chain at the Eisenberg site and a member of the Ecodesign think tank, worked together with her team to develop the PA15 sustainable layer palletizer. In the following interview, she explains what makes this palletizer so special.  

Elaine Lissy is a project manager at the Körber Business Area Supply Chain. She was involved in the development of the PA15 layer palletizer

You presented the sustainable layer palletizer PA15 at the Körber Technology Innovation Summit 2022. What prompted this further development?
At first, we asked ourselves how operators of an energy-intensive production process can reduce high energy consumption, improve their overall energy balance, and optimize their CO₂e footprint. We sought a solution for this with the help of the ecodesign concept.

What was this design’s basic idea?
We wanted to develop a layer palletizer that is not only functionally and economically better than its predecessor, but also more environmentally friendly and resource-saving.

How did you manage that? 
We paid particular attention to energetically sensible processes and intelligent machine control. In addition to selecting the right manufacturing technique during our in-house mechanical prefabrication process, which results in a lower CO₂e footprint, we mainly work with our local supplier network.

A program control switches off the built-in motors when not in use, and an inverter enables energy to be recovered so that surplus energy can be used. Counterweights are used for the stroke so that the motor has to apply less power. Fewer and lighter parts and a smaller machine size also contribute to energy efficiency.

What exactly does that mean for your customers?
When running at medium speed, the PA15 consumes 1.2 kilowatts per hour. In contrast to other comparable market solutions, this means an energy saving of 85 percent. The modular design also enables an increased product life.

What significance does this development have for you personally?
It took us about two years from the idea to the finished machine. Designing a product that has a long service life while being energy-efficient and as environmentally friendly as possible means a lot to me. We have a responsibility to future generations. It’s crucial that our work impact the planet as little as possible.

Tinkering with the product — a field report

At least 20 times a day, Tobias Kucharz looks at his solar panel app and is pleased to see how much electricity the solar cells on the roof of his house have produced. He tells us: “I think the future is to generate energy where it’s needed without harming the environment. I also bring this sustainable mindset to my work as a member of the think tank and as Product Manager for Conveying in the Product Lifecycle Management department at Körber’s Business Area Supply Chain.

"Tobias Kucharz is not only committed to sustainability as a member of the Ecodesign think tank, he also devotes a lot of time to this topic in his private life."

Tobias Kucharz, member of the Ecodesign think tank

Using specialist knowledge to identify problems and find solutions for more sustainable and more energy-efficient products is important to me. This is the case, for example, with the K.Move BeltConveyor, our modular package sorting system, which we are currently improving on the basis of a comprehensive life cycle assessment. In principle, the product should, in the future, have fewer complex components and weigh less in the interests of energy efficiency.

Here we mainly looked at the parameters of speed, belt, and tension. Speed has the greatest effect on energy efficiency. If we reduce it from two and a half to one and a half meters per second, this means a saving of 65 percent. In the future, we also plan to install only two rollers instead of four, which are docked directly to the drive to reduce resistance. Flexible low-friction belts with less tensile force and a special coating result in less friction inside the K.Move BeltConveyor. In concrete terms, this means an energy saving of a further 15 percent.

In the development department, we have just built a conveyor system made entirely of wood. It’s currently being tested in our laboratory at the site of the Körber Business Area Supply Chain in Konstanz, Germany. Wood consumes less energy than steel, but whether it really is the more sustainable material in the long run is something we are currently trying to find out. I continuously share my new findings with the other think tank members and look forward to the outcome.”

Further exciting insights into the world of Körber can be found at Insights.

¹ Mit Ecodesign zu einer ressourcenschonenden Wirtschaft (Using eco-design to move toward a resource-conserving economy), Technologieland Hessen, 2021. Kreislaufwirtschaft und Ecodesign (The circular economy and ecodesign), Technologieland Hessen

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Photography: Markus Köller / KÖRBER AG (2), private (2)

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