50 years of KFT – a fiery success story
When KFT was founded in October 1969, it was not yet possible to predict how the small craft business would develop. Today the company is one of the leading providers in the areas of fire protection, occupational safety and security in southern Germany. 20 employees take care of everything related to fire protection - from system installation to comprehensive advice. In 2016, with the founding of the Bildungsgrad Akademie and shortly afterwards the learning platform Membrarium, the area of professional training was added to the company's portfolio. Such a success story that has lasted for 50 years is certainly a reason to celebrate.
From small business to fire protection specialist
In particular, the combination of quality products, competent service and craftsmanship know-how based on 50 years of experience makes KFT a reliable partner for companies that set the highest standards of safety when it comes to fire protection. The range of services includes all areas that can play a role in the business environment.
Structural fire protection
Protecting buildings primarily involves two areas: fire protection concepts and fire insulation.
Especially if there are deviations from the structural requirements, the creation of a comprehensive fire protection concept is essential. An individual fire protection concept is also required for special building shapes or unusual uses. Its implementation is the task of a specialist planner, who can be a fire protection engineer, a senior member of the fire department or an engineer from another specialist area.
A fire protection concept has different tasks. On the one hand, it naturally serves to protect building users and visitors. On the other hand, it also covers the operational measures taken by fire-fighting and rescue teams in the event of a fire. In addition, the fire protection concept also deals with the protection of cultural assets and the treatment of ecological damage caused by the fire. The protection of property and the effects of business interruptions are also part of the fire protection concept.
Technical measures that are aimed at preventing the spread of fire to adjacent fire compartments are called fire barriers . They affect ceilings and walls as well as the protection of cables. The process is two-stage: The first step is to classify the building into different building classes and divide it into different fire compartments. The isolation then takes place along the determined section boundaries.
From a structural perspective, fire barriers are walls or ceilings constructed from fire-resistant material. The protective compound swells and hardens when exposed to heat. In the event of a fire, this not only prevents the fire from spreading but also protects the cables. It is particularly important that the sealing walls have no interruptions - this is the only way fire resistance can be maintained.
Fire barriers come in a variety of designs, from cable barriers to fire protection cushions to cable boxes and sand traps, to name just a few. Finding and implementing the right measure for the local conditions is the task of a fire protection specialist like KFT.
Technical fire protection
In the area of fire protection systems, KFT offers the complete spectrum for all conceivable applications. Here are just a few examples:
In the event of a fire, using a portable fire extinguisher is usually the first step. The product range includes all types and sizes of fire classes A, B, C, F and E. Depending on the fire precautionary measure, extinguishing powders, foam extinguishing agents, water extinguishing agents and aqueous solutions are used as extinguishing agents.
Smoke detectors , which must be tested according to DIN standards, are used to provide acoustic warnings in apartments, public facilities and industrial facilities. There are two types: The automatic fire detectors react to physical influences, such as smoke, and trigger an alarm automatically. Manual systems must be activated by a conscious decision, such as pressing a button or flipping a switch.
The job of fire alarms is to alert people within a building to the event of a fire and, if necessary, to wake them up before they have noticed the fire themselves. There are also a number of different types of fire detectors that are used depending on the conditions in the building.
Since building law in Germany is a state matter, the regulations regarding fire alarm requirements can vary from state to state.
When optimal fire protection is required, fire alarm systems are used. You are the hot line directly to the fire department. If an alarm system installed in the building triggers an alarm, an emergency call is automatically made to the rescue services. The time saved in this way can save lives.
Advanced fire alarm systems can do even more. They open and close escape doors in an emergency and thus contain the disastrous formation of smoke. This is just one of many measures that can be integrated and coordinated via the fire alarm system.
Fire alarm systems must be carefully planned and implemented. Such a sophisticated protective measure should only be entrusted to specialists like KFT.
The range of technical fire protection measures also includes a variety of other solutions. The offering ranges from fire dampers and fire doors to hold-open systems and escape door controls through to smoke and heat exhaust systems, hydrants and extinguishing systems. In a word: KFT offers everything you need for effective fire protection.
Further training – the digital mainstay of KFT
The increasing demands on craft businesses in digitalization prompted KFT to found the Bildungsgrad Academy in 2016. The training center includes everything needed for employee training in a modern and attractive environment. The academy with its three training rooms offers the ideal basis for individual seminars, team building, webinars and coaching.
At an exceptional location, the Bildungsgrad Academy presents itself in a modern and innovative ambience as the ideal location for the intensive and effective teaching of learning content. Of course, your physical well-being is also taken care of - from the reception with a fruit corner to the vending machine that delivers fresh orange juice to the complete catering.
Above all, the well thought-out room concept allows for any seminar situation and allows for further training measures that meet every requirement. This means that every day of the seminar becomes a profitable investment in your own level of knowledge.
A wide range of seminars based on customer-oriented further training supports participants in developing technical know-how and job-related soft skills. In collaboration with the company, Bildungsgrad not only develops the learning content, but also provides competent speakers in the field of knowledge in order to make company seminars an all-round harmonious experience of success.
Seminars at the Bildungsgrad Academy can also be used as a marketing tool. This allows companies to present their services at the academy as a seminar. In addition, Bildungsgrad also takes care of setting up an e-learning environment for the desired topics. Other services include the implementation of blended learning concepts and the development of complete learning environments.
In the area of e-learning, the most important thing is the professional and competent use of innovative electronic learning media. This makes the learning process extremely variable for the participant. The learner himself determines the place and time of his learning units. One aspect of e-learning has a particularly positive effect: learning content can be repeated as often as desired.
E-learning units do not require face-to-face appointments and are based on the user's individual learning speed. This flexibility allows for particularly relaxed learning that adapts effortlessly to the course participant's life situation.
The Bildungsgrad Academy produces individual e-learning courses and tutorials according to the company's specifications. The company can run the course on the academy’s platform. In addition, Bildungsgrad develops complete learning environments for the company's employees, complete with consulting, conception and implementation.
Even today, employee training and instruction still represents an immense amount of effort in the human resources sector. Learning worlds can act as an effective tool here, not only to rationalize and make such complex and time-consuming processes cheaper, but also to turn them into high-quality learning experiences for employees .
A learning environment can fulfill different tasks. For example, it is the ideal medium for training new employees. Safety instructions can also be conveyed effectively and in detail in this way - without any additional effort or an external speaker. For any type of knowledge transfer regarding work procedures, processes, procedures or agreements, a comprehensive learning environment can convey the necessary information to employees quickly, safely and cost-effectively.
The software system for your own learning world: Membrarium
Based on the requirements of the Bildungsgrad Akademie, Membrarium was developed, a platform for training and further education via individually designed digital learning modules. E-learning units are possible, as are learning management systems and learning content management systems. Even complete event management can be realized with Membrarium.
Membrarium's e-learning software is designed as an interactive complete solution. With their help, complete training units on company-related issues can be easily created. The system already has a large selection of complete e-learning units that can be configured with the company's CI. In addition, it is also possible to develop your own e-learning units, which is made effortless thanks to ready-made design templates.
Membarium is also suitable for producing your own webinars. This allows information systems to be set up for customers and employees, for example by presenting new products or inviting repeat training courses.
Event management supports the company in organizing, managing and automating its own training courses, regardless of whether they take place inside or outside the company.
One system for all learning content
Tailored e-learning units with a membrane can significantly relax operational processes and save costs at the same time. In particular, the resource-intensive and at the same time costly process of further training or safety instruction can be significantly simplified. The digitalization of this form of knowledge transfer not only has a positive effect on the potential for saving time and money - it also saves the use of external speakers in many cases.
Digital knowledge transfer also brings significant benefits to employees. You can decide for yourself when and where you want to do your further training and in any case you will enjoy the consistent information quality of the course.
Blended learning concepts that are launched with the help of Membrarium represent the ideal combination of electronic learning and traditional face-to-face events - with all the practical and group dynamic effects. Webinars ideally complement seminars in the material world, for which the Bildungsgrad Academy is the ideal location - equipped with the latest technology and led by competent and professional speakers.
Individual knowledge transfer
Membrarium allows you to tailor your own learning content precisely to the needs of the company. This not only applies to the content and form of delivery, but also to the external appearance, so that learning units can be integrated harmoniously and organically into the company image. Together with the Membrarium experts, cost-optimized learning modules can be developed in which only what is actually needed is credited.
CI optimization as a means of employee retention
The CI-optimized design of learning content is not a luxury. Units designed in this way have a positive effect on the sense of belonging and motivation, especially in the area of employee motivation and employee loyalty.
The development of digital learning content can become a tedious and time-consuming adventure if it involves the constant search for suitable elements from a wide variety of sources. Membrarium makes all of that unnecessary. Everything you need for content development and production is available on one platform - clearly arranged, easy to use and easily formatted with your own CI.
Defuse resource killer safety instructions
Safety instructions in particular represent an enormous challenge for many companies. Required by law, they require massive interventions in operational processes at regular intervals in order to gather the workforce for information on a specific day at a specific time. The digitalization of safety instruction puts an end to all of this, for good. Digital safety training enables each individual employee to complete the training at exactly the time that best suits their daily routine.
In the future, learning processes will continue to be based on personal interaction, because it is about more than just imparting knowledge. However, these processes can be simplified considerably: Using instruction videos within digital learning content, new employees can quickly and easily gain the necessary knowledge and, beyond the personal instruction, prepare individually for their tasks and deepen the required knowledge. This also has a positive impact on general work processes: well-informed newcomers are less likely to seek help from colleagues, which in turn makes them more effective.
Always there via streaming
Attending seminars or events is often useful for employees, but not always possible - for example during a business trip. In these situations, the streaming technology of the Membrarium learning platform helps. Participating in seminars - even from a moving train - is no problem this way. Streaming makes it unnecessary to end a trip early or change your entire schedule because of an important meeting. In a word: making contact via streaming saves a lot of time and travel costs.
Content tailored to employee skills
In order to be able to develop the content of a learning unit, there must first be exact knowledge about the level of competence at which the webinar or e-learning unit should reach the company's employees. The experts at Membrarium work with the company to create a comprehensive skills overview of the workforce, on which the content and teaching methods are then based. If there is a significant skills gap within the workforce, employee development programs are used to ensure the necessary adjustment in learning levels.
Digital learning – a topic of the future
Millions of jobs will be automated in the coming years. In order not to miss the boat, digital teaching and information processes will become increasingly strategically important. Learning systems must be available to employees that not only convey information completely and competently, but also enable asynchronous and location-independent participation. What is particularly important is experienced and professional partners. The Bildungsgrad Academy and its learning platform Membrarium offer companies in the field of digital learning the full range of services for setting off into new learning worlds.