Hypertherm shares record Corporate Social Responsibility results in new report

Hypertherm, a U.S. based manufacturer of industrial cutting systemsand software, today announced the release of its annual Corporate Social Responsibility report. This year’s report, released during the company’s 50^th anniversary year, shows record results in all areas of CSR measured by Hypertherm including community engagement, environmental impact, and Associate well-being. The report also shares examples of Hypertherm’s 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 its volunteer program, Hypertherm provided support to nonprofits through its 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 it did in 2016, it 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 its waste from landfills, recording its best year of operational energy efficiency since 2010, and decreasing its water usage and logistics footprint. The company reports progress on environmental goals tied to its products through continued engineering efficiencies. For example, its 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, Hypertherm posted a safety incidence rate of 1.9 percent compared with an industry average of 4.1 percent. The company also reports that 700 Associates, roughly half its 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 at www.hypertherm.com/CSR.

Hypertherm designs and manufactures industrial cutting products for use in a variety of industries such as shipbuilding, manufacturing, and automotive repair. Its product line includes cutting systems, in addition to CNC motion and height controls, CAM nesting software, robotic software and consumables. Hypertherm systems are trusted for performance and reliability that result in increased productivity and profitability for hundreds of thousands of businesses. The company’s reputation for cutting innovation dates back 50 years to 1968, with Hypertherm’s invention of water injection plasma cutting. The 100 percent associate owned company has more than 1,400 associates along with operations and partner representation worldwide.