John Deere and Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics Employees Help Clean Up Rhine River
Employees from John Deere in Mannheim and the ocean logistics supplier Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) met on 12 June to jointly clean up a portion of the banks of the Rhine River in Mannheim.Working together during the Rhine River Bank Clean-Up Event in Mannheim, Germany, a 65-member team from John Deere and WWL joined other volunteers to remove several hundred kilograms of debris from the Rhine riverside.
The group cleaned a two-kilometer stretch of the river that is a popular recreation area and in close proximity to John Deere Werke Mannheim, John Deere's largest factory outside the United States.
"John Deere is not only an important local manufacturer in the Mannheim area, but also a responsible and active corporate citizen," said David Panjwani, Global Logistics Manager EAME, Deere & Company, and organizer of the event. "We hope this is just the beginning of leading and supporting these types of events in Europe", added Hartmut Bauer, John Deere’s Environment, Health and Safety Manager for Europe, the CIS, Near & Middle East.
"With our participation at this activity, WWL employees do not only recognize their long standing partnership with John Deere, they also demonstrate our company's commitment to the environment. Clean water and rivers are key natural resources which require special protection", said Oliver Schmidt, General Manager Marketing and Sales of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, Germany.
John Deere and WWL volunteers have also worked together several years on the Xstream Cleanup, an annual event to clean up trash from the banks of the Mississippi River in Iowa and Illinois, USA.
John Deere is Germany's largest manufacturer of agricultural equipment and employs approx. 6,000 employees in six locations throughout Germany. Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics is the company's primary partner for the shipment of tractors and harvesting equipment to overseas destinations.
Page updated: Jun 30, 2010
