Core elements of the ESG Strategy

With the new Strategy 2028, the Komax Group is embedding ESG topics even more consistently in its business processes. As part of this, it has defined three focus areas – Fairness, Responsibility, and Climate Protection – with which it intends to concentrate in particular on its customers, employees, suppliers, and the planet. The Komax Group has a long-term ambition for each of these focus areas, and has defined 13 overarching targets for the next five years based on the materiality analysis. In order to attain these targets, various strategic initiatives are being pursued and comprehensive reporting established.

Further development of ESG

In 2023 the Komax Group took a major step forward. To provide the framework for the Group-wide, strategic implementation of ESG, sustainability was incorporated into the Articles of Association at the 2023 Annual General Meeting in line with a proposal from the Board of Directors. In addition, in April 2023 the Board of Directors appointed a Sustainability and Innovation Committee, which supports the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee in sustainable corporate development, strengthens our innovative capacity, and oversees sustainability reporting.

Furthermore, the Komax Group has drawn up an ESG report in accordance with the GRI Standards, that is broken down by the themes that are important to the Komax Group. The ESG Report gives an insight into the strategy of the Komax Group, its ESG targets, and how it intends to achieve them.

Part of the ESG Report is the GRI index.

Selected ESG topics

Economic contribution

The Komax Group wants to help resolve a number of global challenges with its current business model. Automation facilitates higher quality as well as safety in production processes and end products. It reduces the quantity of rejects as well as wear and tear, thereby reducing the intensity of resources and costs at the production stage. Automated processes also improve workplace safety. Ultimately, they offer a solution to the increasing shortage of skilled personnel and help ensure the long-term success of customers.

A healthy working environment

At its newly renovated building in Dierikon, Switzerland, the Komax Group has embraced the intelligent plant concept of “Oxygene at Work.” This increases the quality of air in the building, which in turn promotes concentration and employee health. In addition, some 1.2 tons of CO₂ are compensated for annually, as “Oxygene at Work” plants two trees for every plant in the building. For the Komax Group project, this works out at 304 trees.

Sustainable resource management

Every year, Komax dispatches some 1,000 machines and any number of replacement parts to all corners of the world from its headquarters in Dierikon, Switzerland. In 2023, this required some 700 tons (2022: 850 tons) of wood, which Komax obtains from a nearby biosphere reserve in the canton of Lucerne. This is a naturally renewable area of forest. The wood is heat-treated prior to delivery to Komax to remove bacteria and other damaging microorganisms, thus ensuring that the packaging does not end up threatening local flora and fauna at the target destination due to the importing of alien species.

Training and professional development

The Komax Group organizes management seminars, advanced training events on site, webinars, and provides free-to-use LinkedIn Learning accounts, and financial support for external training and development. Around 1% of all personnel expenses are channeled into these activities each year, which in 2023 amounted to CHF 2.8 million. Over the last four years, employees in the Komax Academy alone completed almost 6,000 online courses.

Protecting customer and partner data

Komax is also certified under the “Trusted Information Security Assessment Exchange” (TISAX) standard, which addresses the secure processing of information received from business partners, and data protection between automotive manufacturers and their suppliers in accordance with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Existing security measures are adjusted on an ongoing basis in line with technological developments.

More information on the Komax Group's activities in the three ESG dimensions of Environment, Social, and Governance can be found in the ESG Report, which is part of the full Annual Report 2023.