KraussMaffei Corp. surpassed its goal of raising $100,000 for the American Red Cross to help hurricane victims while another machine maker, Engel North America, is in the middle of an effort to offer relief to damaged businesses.
The two machine makers are among the plastics industry companies that have stepped up to support recovery efforts in Texas, Florida, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean islands following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.
From their U.S. headquarters in Florence, Ky., KraussMaffei staff challenged customers to donate $1,000 in exchange for a $1,000 credit for spare parts. Employees contributed, too, and the business raised $121,600.
KraussMaffei says six donors led by reusable packaging producer Monoflo International of Winchester, Va., accounted for 80 percent of the total. Other major donations came in from Proper Group International of Warren, Mich.; Sussex IM of Sussex, Wis.; Rehrig Pacific Co. of Los Angeles; MGS Mfg. Group of Germantown, Wis.; and Cobra Plastics Inc. of Macedonia, Ohio.
Seventeen other businesses also wrote checks for the American Red Cross fundraiser, which ended Oct. 5.
"Thank you to our great customers and employees for your great big hearts," Paul Caprio, president and CEO of KraussMaffei Corp., says in a new release about the successful drive.
The business is a U.S. subsidiary of KraussMaffei Group of Munich.
Engel's relief program continues through Dec. 31 and is aimed at customers in ravaged parts of the U.S. and Caribbean. The company is giving a 50 percent discount on the list price of all spare parts for machinery damaged by the hurricanes and the floods that followed.
"We want to help support our customers through this difficult time," Mark Sankovitch, president of Engel North America, said in a news release. "We hope that the discounted spare part pricing being offered for these repairs makes it easier for customers to get their facilities up-and-running and production back on track. It is important for everyone that this happens as quickly as possible."
Based in York, Pa., Engel North America manufactures injection molding machines for thermoplastics and elastomers. The company is a subsidiary of Engel Holding GmbH in Schwertberg, Austria.