First consignment of medical supplies for hospitals and doctors has arrived from China

• Minister-President Weil and HR Board Member Kilian take delivery of face masks

• Volkswagen Group is donating medical supplies with a value of about €40 million for medical facilities

• The equipment will be handed over to the national authorities and Lower Saxony for further distribution

The Minister-President of Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil, and the HR Board Member of Volkswagen, Gunnar Kilian, took delivery of a first consignment of face masks from China in Brunswick. The Volkswagen Group is organizing medical equipment with a total value of about €40 million in China which will then be made available to doctors and hospitals in Germany. The supplies are to be delivered as soon as possible. The products ordered include face masks, gloves, disinfectants, clinical thermometers, protective goggles and protective clothing. The first consignment, which arrived on Saturday, consisted of 400,000 face masks, 240,000 for medical facilities throughout Germany and 160,000 for hospitals and doctors in Lower Saxony. The distribution of the equipment is to be organized by public bodies.

Stephan Weil, Minister-President of Lower Saxony, said: “We are living in difficult times and, at times like these, we are especially pleased about positive news and signs of solidarity. A sign of this type is the generous donation of medical supplies by Volkswagen. The equipment will benefit people working in the health service in Lower Saxony and throughout Germany. I would like to thank those responsible and also the many employees of Volkswagen for their willingness to provide such help in the corona crisis despite their own concerns. They are helping with considerable commitment and simply as a matter of course. This example demonstrates how well we can pull together in Lower Saxony.”

Volkswagen HR Board Member Gunnar Kilian emphasized: “Medical practitioners and nurses in the public health service need our full support in the fight against coronavirus. With our donation, we want to make our contribution – in Germany and especially in Lower Saxony. Lower Saxony is the home of Volkswagen. Our Group has more than 130,000 employees here; many thousands of people are also employed by about 3,500 suppliers. They all rely on Volkswagen. We are helping. Our teams have cooperated in a highly professional way so that we can keep our word. I would like to thank them very much for their efforts.”

Volkswagen had already donated 200,000 category FFP-2 and FFP-3 face masks for public health services. Now, the equipment ordered in China is arriving successively and will be distributed by public bodies. The delivery of aid from China was organized jointly by the Group health, procurement, finance and logistics departments with the objective of providing supplies to doctors and hospitals as quickly as possible.