Social

As a family business and at the same time a global player, we are aware of our social responsibility. Through their activities, companies shape society, their immediate environment and, of course, the families of their employees.

We are committed to social projects and initiatives that have a positive impact on our community. We actively support local non-profit organizations and are committed to education and equal opportunities.

Our employees are the heart of our company. Our aspiration is to create a working environment characterized by respect, openness and integrity. This includes fair working conditions, job security and health protection.

We promote a culture of diversity and inclusion in which every employee has the opportunity to develop his or her potential. Through targeted training and development programs, we support the professional development of our employees and strengthen their skills and competencies.

Current goals that the employees of the HAWE Group are working on worldwide:

Promotion of social commitment by HAWE

The decision-making criteria for social commitment at HAWE locations are defined worldwide, communicated internally and used in decision-making. An organizational structure to promote social commitment will be in place by the end of 2023.

Occupational Health Management

By 2026, a health management system will have been set up and established throughout the Group. In addition to occupational health and safety, this also includes integration management and workplace health promotion.

Health rate consistently above national average

The health rate at all HAWE Group locations is above the national average.

Zero Accidents

Organizational measures have been implemented at all locations to completely avoid accidents within the company premises.

Improve employee satisfaction

Employee satisfaction is continuously improving and the self-resignation rate is decreasing.

Promotion of education, training and further education

The number of hours of further education and training per employee is to be continuously increased. The number of trainees is expected to increase. The average effectiveness rating of the trainings and education should be over 90%.

Selected projects in which HAWE is already successfully involved:

Plastic waste as a building block for the future

HAWE Hydraulik supports UNICEF in the initiative "Plastic waste as a building block for the future" in the Ivory Coast in order to provide children with a clean environment in which they can live and learn healthily. In addition, this can reduce diseases. The (often single) mothers are empowered by employing them in the recycling markets, thus creating income opportunities. Children gain access to better education and upgraded classrooms. With the help of the converted materials, classrooms can be built at a low cost.

For more information about this project, visit UNICEF.

Training models for Africa

HAWE Hydraulik participated in the VDMA's educational initiative "Skilled Workers for Africa" to train skilled workers locally. In the process, HAWE trainees build training models and train future African specialists in the field of hydraulics on site in Botswana. Due to the project HAWE was awarded the German Enterprise Award German Enterprise Award in category A "Business for Development". The prize money was used to purchase spare parts and tools for the defective machines on site, in addition to the expenses for training and maintenance workshops. This will enable the trainers at the training center to repair the machines themselves in the future and teach their junior staff these skills and the necessary knowledge by doing. The VDMA accompanied milestones of the project on site with a camera team. Watch the video here.

Exoskeletons for medical purposes

Together with the Technical University of Munich and voxeljet AG, a research project for the development of lightweight robots is being driven forward. Funded by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy, the project "Low-Cost Lightweight Robots on Demand" aims to radically reduce the development time in the design of robots. The idea behind this technology is to develop and offer walking aids to injured or disabled people in rehabilitation much more quickly. These aids are to be comparable in size and shape to a human arm and can be used in a variety of ways thanks to variable end effectors.

Safety and health protection

Occupational safety managers ensure a sustainable and holistic health strategy. In addition, projects are developed, for example, to strengthen ergonomics in the workplace through occupational health management. 

Employees are regularly sensitized by experts to health-promoting behavior in the workplace, and various offers are made on the topics of stress and exercise in cooperation with a health insurance company and committed employees. Solutions have been developed with in-house experts to significantly reduce or almost completely eliminate high risks, e.g. by means of ladders and safety systems. Projects to identify and remedy physical and mental stress are already underway.

Integration and inclusion in practice

At HAWE Hydraulik SE, integration and inclusion in the daily working environment are writ large. We offer training and technical literature on this topic so that those responsible are always up to date with the latest developments.

In recent years, the workplaces at HAWE have been equipped with height-adjustable desks, new office chairs and IP telephony, with the involvement of HAWE's representative body for severely disabled employees. In everyday work and team meetings, deaf employees were supported at their workstations by sign language interpreters via remote interpretation.

Other sustainability topics at HAWE: