Leoni and its employees stand with Ukraine
- Worldwide workforce donates for Ukrainian colleagues
- Ukrainian employees come to work highly motivated
- Leoni provides € 280,000 for humanitarian aid supplies
"The solidarity and willingness to help that we experience in the company worldwide is overwhelming. Whether it's donating money, collecting aid materials or providing support in matters of logistics – our employees are doing exemplary work for their colleagues in Ukraine every day. That makes me very proud," emphasises Dr Ursula Biernert, Leoni's Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO). "At the same time, the commitment and motivation of our Ukrainian employees, who conscientiously manufacture wiring systems for the automotive industry under such difficult conditions, are admirable."
Shortly after the outbreak of the war, Leoni began organising humanitarian aid – for the approximately 7,000 Ukrainian colleagues and the people in the communities of Stryi and Kolomyia, where the company is located. Within a very short time, employees from Germany and other countries donated more than 60 tons of relief supplies: from food to hygiene articles to medical and care products. The employees in Kitzingen, Roth and Nuremberg alone, as well as local companies, collected several dozen pallets of urgently needed items in the first few days after the appeal. Where meetings usually take place, nappies, prescription-free medicines, sleeping mats and power banks, among other things, were piled up. Leoni, experienced in international logistics, brought the goods by truck to Ukraine, where they were distributed and received with great gratitude.
In addition, Leoni employees and business partners have donated money, which will gradually be used to procure further relief supplies. The company itself is providing a further € 280,000. In cooperation with the food company Edeka, Leoni recently bought around 50 tons of food and brought it to Ukraine. Furthermore, the company is currently transporting two ambulances to the war zone. It is also remarkable that the works council of the Leoni site in Roth donated more than € 57,000 on behalf of the employees there, which had been accumulated over decades in a mortality fund, for the benefit of the Ukrainian colleagues.
Leoni is supported by the Franconia-based aid organisations "HERMINE e.V." and "Liebe in Karton e.V." in organising the monetary donations and procuring relief supplies. They ensure, for example, that fundraising is carried out through an established network of associated charity organisations.
Production at the Leoni plants in Stryi and Kolomyia in Western Ukraine was interrupted for about a week immediately after the start of the war and has since been gradually increased. Currently, all customer requirements are being met. This is due not least to the great loyalty of the Ukrainian employees, who go about their work under the highest security precautions.