Products
30.08.2022
WELT Survey: Balluff shows very high corporate responsibility
Ahead of Beckhoff, Festo, and others: Balluff has achieved top results in an industry survey conducted by German media outlet WELT.
The executives surveyed attest Balluff "very high corporate responsibility". This puts the sensor and automation specialist in first place in the industry.
In a recently published survey conducted by Cologne-based analytical institute ServiceValue GmbH, Balluff places first in the competitive automation industry. In cooperation with the WELT news station, ServiceValue determined the companies to which industry experts attribute the highest corporate responsibility from a total of 170,000 assessments by surveyed executives. The demand for companies to act responsibly and sustainably is constantly growing. Dr. Claus Dethloff, CEO at ServiceValue GmbH, explains: “Not only listed but also medium-sized companies are increasingly being scrutinized for their CR performance”. In direct comparison, Balluff beat fourteen other well-known automation suppliers like Festo, Beckhoff, and teamtechnik and consequently took first place in the industry.
Responsibility as core value
“As a family-run business, responsibility is deeply rooted in Balluff as one of our company values,“ explains Managing Director Katrin Stegmaier-Hermle. “Our creed is: We think and act today for tomorrow. This also includes thinking beyond immediate successes. We want to deal responsibly with our society and the environment." To live up to this claim, Balluff defines responsibility as its fundamental attitude that inspires various concrete projects, like internal development programs, social commitment abroad, or voluntary sustainability and environmental goals. Stegmaier-Hermle emphasizes: “The survey shows that the executives in our industry acknowledge and appreciate our commitment. Of course, we are pleased about this, but above all, it confirms that we are on the right track."
Our creed is: We think and act today for tomorrow. This also includes thinking beyond immediate successes. We want to deal responsibly with our society and the environment.
Katrin Stegmaier-Hermle, Balluff Managing Director
Developing young talents as a central goal
The company’s tried-and-tested training and development programs are an important part of social responsibility at Balluff. „We can take responsibility most effectively where we are best ourselves,“ explains Caroline Rank, who is in charge of the promotion of young talent at Balluff. This includes the project “Technolino”, where students and trainees at Balluff work with local children in practice-oriented projects, conducting experiments and building their own lemon batteries, all the while fostering interest in technology early on. “We place particular emphasis on activities with a regional connection, making it all the more special when the spark is ignited and the children return to us as applicants later on,” says Rank.
The first homemade lemon battery makes for shining eyes: In the development program „Technolino“, Balluff fosters children’s and young people’s interest in technology.
Red park benches as a symbol against violence against women: Since 2019, Balluff Slr. in Turin, Italy has supported the "Fondazione Libellula", which campaigns against violence against women throughout the country. For the #LibellulaFlyUp campaign, Balluff employees climbed a total of 39 floors to set an example against violence.
Global presence means global responsibility
With locations in more than 61 countries worldwide, Balluff faces the challenge of constantly expanding its corporate responsibility internationally. „As a global, growing company, we also consider it our duty to review the effectiveness of the measures we implement,“ says Stegmaier-Hermle. „A city in South America has completely different needs than the regions of our sites in Italy or Germany—needs that we are unable to assess from a distance. That's why we give our local employees a free hand to act on their own responsibility. They know the concerns of their communities best.“
The agile, solution-oriented approach of corporate responsibility takes many forms in practice, like cooperating with foundations that work against violence against women in Italy, or donating food in Vinhedo and mouth-nose protection masks to social institutions in the Stuttgart area.
„Social and community needs are ever changing,“ Katrin Stegmaier-Hermle emphasizes. „But our standard remains the same: Adding value for the locals is the deciding factor. And that is why we are grateful and proud to have such a great, dedicated team behind us at Balluff, which makes this added value possible.“
About the company Balluff
Founded in 1921 in Neuhausen a.d.F., Balluff employs 3600 people worldwide and represents innovative technology, quality and cross-industry experience in industrial automation. As a leading sensor and automation specialist, the fourth-generation family-owned company offers a comprehensive portfolio of high-quality sensor, identification and image processing solutions, including network technology and software. In 2021, Balluff Group reported revenues of around 504 mil. Euros. In addition to the main headquarters in Neuhausen a. d. F., Balluff has sales, production and development locations around the world and can boast 37 wholly owned subsidiaries and other representatives in 61 countries. This guarantees customers rapid worldwide availability of products and high consulting and service quality on site.
