The medical supplies for doctors, nursing homes and hospitals that the Volkswagen Group has been organizing in China since the end of March are now arriving in Germany on a large scale.
Around five million respirators have now arrived, many of which have already been distributed. Further deliveries are expected in the next few days, so that the materials add up to a total of 13 million pieces, and 750,000 liters of disinfectant have been ordered and will arrive in May.
The total value of the goods that the Volkswagen Group donates to support medical and nursing facilities is around EUR 40 million.
In addition, the group organizes and supplies medical materials that the federal government has ordered in accordance with a framework agreement with the Federal Ministry of Health. Corresponding further deliveries of several million protective masks are expected in the next few weeks.
Lower Saxony’s Economics Minister Bernd Althusmann, Volkswagen Human Resources Director Gunnar Kilian and Group Works Council Chairman Bernd Osterloh received an aircraft at Hanover Airport on Sunday afternoon with a new delivery from China. The contents of this delivery include temperature scanners, which Volkswagen will donate to the federal and state governments of Lower Saxony, and masks that the federal government has ordered.
Lower Saxony’s Minister of Economic Affairs Bernd Althusmann said: “It is a strong signal from Volkswagen to get involved in Lower Saxony in this exceptional situation. The availability of protective medical equipment is an important factor in containing the corona pandemic and is helping to make our health system stable and reliable despite the crisis.”
Volkswagen Human Resources Director Gunnar Kilian said: “The fight against Corona is not over. Everyone and every company has to help contain the virus. That is why health protection is an absolute priority when we restart our production. And doctors and nurses still need our full support. For them, the fight against the virus is a marathon. Volkswagen is helping here with its donation. Our teams in procurement, healthcare, finance and logistics have put a lot of effort into this. ”
Volkswagen Group Works Council Chairman Bernd Osterloh said: “Our colleagues are proud that Volkswagen is also playing out its strengths at this important point and helping to stabilize the supply situation. It has been over 40 years since Volkswagen was one of the first international automobile manufacturers to start making contacts in China. In this context, we are now benefiting from this decades-long partnership. ”
In addition to the five million masks, around 250,000 pairs of protective gloves and 18,000 protective suits that have now been received as part of the donation, further deliveries are expected soon. Public bodies organize the redistribution of materials.
Volkswagen has received numerous requests for help from hospitals, doctors and social institutions in the past few weeks. The company itself does not have the total volume of materials requested. That is why experts from the health care group, the procurement group, the logistics group and the finance group had worked closely together so that facilities could be supplied as quickly as possible.
The Volkswagen teams analyzed the need in Germany, identified suitable manufacturers in China, promptly placed the orders and coordinated the air freight transports from China to Germany. The disinfectant was ordered and produced in Germany. Its redistribution is also carried out by public bodies.
