In response to the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Schwertberg, Austria-headquartered injection moulding machine manufacturer Engel has swung into action, with the launch of a number of aid campaigns at its plants in Austria and many of its subsidiaries elsewhere.
"We are overwhelmed, and proud of how spontaneously so many employees are getting involved and how customers and partners are also supporting our initiatives," said Stefan Engleder, CEO of the Engel Group. With its nine production plants worldwide and more than 30 subsidiaries – including one in Kyiv – the Engel Group has an international presence.
The company has donated €100,000 in immediate aid to Médecins sans Frontières (MFS), Nachbar in Not (Neighbours in Need) and the Red Cross. Engel Deutschland collected 25,000 euros for the Ukrainian Parish in Hannover within 24 hours, and the donations are still coming in. The parish's network is ensuring that the money will reach the intended recipients immediately and directly.
At the Eastern European subsidiaries, employees have also been focussed on been helping refugees. At the production plant in Kaplice in the Czech Republic, for example, where Engel employs some 100 people from Ukraine, apartments have been provided for relatives.
Engel UK team members Krzysztof Bruski and Chris Stafford are flying to Poland on 10 March for 5 days to commence ENGEL UK’s contribution to the huge amount of aid Poland is supplying to the Ukranian refugees. They will be visiting centres in Rzeszow, Przemysl, Ustrzyki Dolne and Hrubieszow to find out what they urgently need, buy these things and take them to the aid centres. Engel UK have donated £5,000 for this initiative and additional donations can be made via a secure Go Fund Me page.
"We are doing whatever is currently in our power to help people. Engel is a family business and also a large global family. This is something we are experiencing very strongly, right now," said Stefan Engleder.