Even the smallest of changes can have a big impact. BASF’s initiative “Idea Management” proves this time and again, with employees submitting suggestions that make every day work safer, easier and more efficient. By implementing improvements initiated by employees, BASF was able to save around €58 million globally last year. For example, pressure and temperature were specifically adapted in a chemical production process. The result is an economic benefit in the seven-digit range . These and more than 23,000 other suggestions were implemented in 2017, maintaining the high level of the previous year. BASF rewarded the ingenuity of its employees with bonuses totaling €4.3 million.

There was also a host of ideas implemented at the Ludwigshafen Verbund site, which achieved savings of €35.7 million. BASF rewarded its employees at the Ludwigshafen site with €3.1 million in bonuses. Employees of the Crop Protection division were particularly inventive: their suggestions achieved annual net benefits of €5.4 million.

The wealth of ideas presented by employees not only create savings, but often also increase safety in the workplace. One example is the adjustment in the height of a new solid-material filling system, which means that employees no longer have to hoist the sacks to be filled. In addition to the ergonomic improvements, the process has also become more effective: the correct weight can be read more quickly and both containers and sacks can be filled or emptied at the same time.