Mainz, Germany--The board of management of Schott AG decided to donate 100,000 euros ($141,550 USD) to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami disaster in the north of the main island of Japan. The company’s corporate management shared this news with Airi Yukawa, who heads Schott operations inside the country, in a telephone conversation. The managers of Schott Japan and Schott Moritex sites have been asked to recommend a Japanese aid organization that Schott can give these funds to.

Companies both Japanese and elsewhere are stepping in to aid the survivors of the disaster in Japan; for example, Sharp Corporation is preparing small photovoltaic systems to help victims keep essential forms of communication such as cell phones charged.

“We are all deeply concerned by this disaster in Japan," said Udo Ungeheuer, chairman of the board of management of Schott AG. "We can’t even begin to imagine how much suffering the Japanese are having to endure. Following the natural disaster in the form of earthquakes and tsunamis, they have been forced to face the threat of the largest nuclear disaster in a generation. For us as a company, it goes without saying that we will provide financial aid on-site to help alleviate this grave situation."

Furthermore, both group management and the general-works council decided to call upon all employees of Schott all over the world to make donations to aid the victims of the disaster in Japan, which the company will then match.

Schott is still in the process of evacuating its employees in Tokyo and Saitama City and their families to other company sites in the southwest of the country. No Schott employees or family members have suffered injury thus far. The manufacturing and administrative sites will remain closed and are only operating in emergency mode.

Posted by John Wallace

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