Besides the financial strength of the MAHLE Foundation, we also strive – throughout the company – for a responsible, hands-on role in the community. We see our locations as part of the basic social order and values. Only in this way can we reconcile economic interests with social and ecological aspects throughout the world. We are, therefore, committed to improving the quality of life and the environment in the geographical and social surroundings in which we operate.

One example is the collaboration in the Stuttgart area in the renaturation of the Neckar River landscape – an initiative by our group of international trainees as part of a larger regional action alliance.

Naturally, we run the gamut from continual improvement of safety at work and environmental protection standards in our plants, and comprehensive integration of disabled people, to topics that stretch far beyond the boundaries of our company. We are committed to numerous social and cultural projects worldwide.

At our location in Poland, we started initiatives for the town and region – to provide assistance to families with a large number of children, to sponsor cultural and sporting events or to organize days out for children.

In Brazil, we were able to continue sponsoring socially underprivileged and educationally disadvantaged young people in 2005. The independent commitment of our employees at all Brazilian locations contributed substantially to this project. Our employees have supported 150 young people with medical care and after-school classes. This project also aimed to secure young people a place in society for the future. In 2005, we also sponsored over 350 children from socially disadvantaged families with dancing and foreign language classes, with the objective of stimulating talent and providing them with a meaningful activity. In many cities in Brazil, MAHLE employees visited hospitals as story-tellers to help raise the spirits of younger patients.

Both now and in the future, our company’s links with the individual regional locations and the acceptance of responsibility for public welfare represent an important, active part of our corporate culture. We will make an even greater commitment than before to those countries and regions that are underprivileged on a global scale and rely on the support of global Group structures.