Corporate Social Responsibility: KLINGER is committed to Lebenshilfe Lower Austria. 45 people with mental disabilities work at the company premises.
A workshop for Lebenshilfe Lower Austria is also located on the premises of KLINGER. A win-win situation for both sides.
At the address “Am Kanal 8-10” in Gumpoldskirchen, Lower Austria, you will not only find KLINGER Dichtungstechnik, KLINGER Fluid Control, KLINGER Gebetsroither and KLINGER Holding, but also Lebenshilfe Lower Austria, which has rented space for one of its workshops here. A total of 45 people with intellectual disabilities are employed on the company premises. During the day, some work in the in-house woodworking shop, others in an industrial or housekeeping group and a further three are responsible for distributing mail on the KLINGER premises.
Five clients who skillfully wield lawn mowers, trimmers and hedge trimmers make up the so-called “KLINGER outdoor group”. They are responsible for maintaining the historic park, as Andrea Winter, head of the Lebenshilfe Lower Austria, Workshop Gumpoldskirchen explains: “We conscientiously and happily maintain the park, cut the trees and bushes and mow the lawn in coordination with the facility manager.”
The outside group also maintains the KLINGER company parking lot. “As a rule, this work is carried out every 14 days,” explains a very satisfied KLINGER Facility Manager Christian Schachenhofer. “The team at Lebenshilfe Lower Austria is reliable and dedicated,” he explains, and adds: “The woodworking shop has already made various pieces of furniture for the park.”
Equipped with suitable sun and noise protection: Mathias Schwertführer, from the “KLINGER outside group”, mows the lawn
Living social responsibility
Like Winter, Schachenhofer also sees many advantages in the fact that Lebenshilfe Lower Austria is on the premises Monday to Friday. Sometimes you need to act quickly, for example when a broken branch is blocking the parking lot after a storm, and it is great to have a team ready to help.
„We see it as our social responsibility to support the people in the region. That is why we are happy to provide space for the Lebenshilfe Lower Austria workshop along with its employees and clients on our company premises. This cooperation is simply a perfect fit. After all, we are also a manufacturing company.“
Christian Schachenhofer, Head of KLINGER Facility Management
The relationship between KLINGER and the Lebenshilfe Lower Austria, Workshop Gumpoldskirchen is collegial on every other level as well. KLINGER employees enjoy attending events such as the workshop’s Christmas exhibition. In turn, Lebenshilfe Lower Austria lends the large company its self-made sales stands for events.
Ewald Fuchs from Lebenshilfe Lower Austria keeps the lawn nicely edged with the trimmer.
Inclusion as a matter of course
“We are there when KLINGER needs something and vice versa,” Andrea Winter summarizes the situation. “That is exactly what Lebenshilfe Lower Austria stands for: The clients work in a place where they can interact with other people without disabilities. This completely natural inclusion means a lot to us.”
The “KLINGER outdoor group” of the Lebenshilfe Lower Austria, Workshop Gumpoldskirchen keeps the historic park looking pristine.
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