Basketball Tournament for a Good Cause

Leuze electronic donates €1,000 to the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Hospiz Kirchheim/Teck

Leuze electronic: On December 11, 2013, Volker Aschenbrenner, head of Marketing at Leuze electronic, and Michael Schüler, as representative of the winning team of a charity basketball tournament, presented a donation check to the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Hospiz (Hospice Association) Kirchheim/Teck.

As one of the main sponsors of the second-league basketball team Kirchheim Knights, and as fans of basketball, in July Leuze employees organized a charity basketball tournament within the scope of the company's anniversary festivities. Colleagues from all Leuze electronic locations were able to participate. The tournament and celebration were a complete success: last summer, approximately 1,500 employees and their relatives celebrated the 50th anniversary of the company's founding. At the same time, on this day the dedication of the newly-opened sensor technology center at the Owen site also took place – a two-story office building with some 2,000 square meters of floor space and a production facility of the same size for the state-of-the-art manufacturing. The participants in the charity basketball tournament made a deliberate decision to waive any victory prizes. Instead, the company volunteered to make a donation to a good cause for every point scored. This motivated the teams, who spiritedly competed even more for each point. Altogether, a total of €1,000 was raised this way.

The tournament finalists themselves were able to decide to which charity the donation should be made. The decision was made in favor of the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Hospiz Kirchheim. Since 1994 volunteers have cared for terminally ill patients and provided support to their relatives and friends in Kirchheim and surrounding communities. Currently, about 40 volunteers and 2 full-time professionals provide support in the hospital, at home and in assisted-living facilities. Their work is financed by means of donations and grants, including training measures, reimbursement for travel expenses and the publicity work for this institution.

With this campaign for donations, Leuze electronic underscores its strong ties to the region. The new sensor technology center also emphasizes the company's commitment to its headquarters in Owen, where it employs some 380 staff members.

Leuze electronic employs approximately 850 workers in 18 subsidiaries around the world. For over 50 years the company has produced optoelectronic sensors, inductive switches and identification and image processing systems as well as solutions for safety at work. These products are used successfully in the automotive industry, conveyor and storage technology and packaging and analysis technology as well as in the fields of handling and assembly technology and electronics.