Hypertherm Shares Record CSR Results

Hypertherm, Inc. (Hanover, NH), celebrating their 50th anniversary, released their annual Corporate Social Responsibility report that shows record results in all areas, including their community engagement, environmental impact, and Associate well-being. The report also shares examples of their CSR work throughout its five decades in business, including information on founder Dick Couch’s first ever patent developed to improve the safety of workers.

In 2017, for the first time ever, Associates each received 32 hours of paid time off to volunteer. This eight-hour increase over prior years led to a new service record with more than 86 percent of Associates serving a combined 25,601 hours in 20 countries. Work accomplished included the distribution of food to 2,925 families and 348 shelter residents, the maintenance of 59 miles of walking and hiking trails, the collection and distribution of toys for 397 children, and the walking or cycling 2,010 miles for cancer research. In total, the number of hours served since the program’s inception nearly 15 years ago stands at 138,949 hours.

In addition to their volunteer program, the company provided support to nonprofits through their HOPE (Hypertherm Owners’ Philanthropic Endeavors) Foundation. The foundation continues to support organizations in five focus areas: health and wellness, education, food and shelter, STEM, and the environment. As they did in 2016, they continued to place added emphasis on two strategic initiatives. The first of those programs, SHAPE for STEM, exposed more than 600 students to STEM through educational tours, job shadows, internships, and hands-on workshops. The second initiative, launched in response to a substance use disorder (SUD) crisis impacting the country, funded programs in support of drug education, awareness, and sustained recovery.

Last year also saw gains when it comes to environmental goals with Hypertherm diverting 98.2 percent of their waste from landfills, recording their best year of operational energy efficiency since 2010, and decreasing their water usage and logistics footprint. The company reports progress on environmental goals tied to its products through continued engineering efficiencies. For example, their newest plasma system, the XPR300, cuts 14 percent faster with a 62 percent higher power to weight ratio than its predecessor. In addition, the system is 99.5 percent recyclable and shipped in 100 percent recyclable packaging.

When it comes to Associate well-being, Hypertherm continues to report workplace injury rates well below the national average. For 2017, they posted a safety incidence rate of 1.9 percent, compared with an industry average of 4.1 percent. They also report that 700 Associates, roughly half their workforce, are now trained in first aid and more Associates now enjoy on-site medical services provided in partnership with Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Read the full report by clicking here.

www.hypertherm.com