Auburn Hills, Michigan – October 7, 2020 – As COVID forces every industry to shift the way it conducts its operations, education is no exception. With many universities conducting most classes online, it’s essential that every student has access to reliable technology to help them connect to their educational experience. That’s why Continental Structural Plastics (CSP) in Carey, Ohio, donated 15 Dell laptop computers to Heidelberg University in Tiffin, Ohio.
The donation is the direct result of a social media plea put out by Victoria Smith, an IT help desk technician at Heidelberg. Smith sensed that there may be a technology need among the student population, as the school was offering a variety of approaches to learning, including in-person, on-line and hybrids.
Victoria Smith, IT help desk technician at Heidelberg University, is installing new hard drives in the laptops donated by Continental Structural Plastics.
“I’ve felt for a while that there was probably a need amongst students for loaner laptops but was not able to get any momentum behind getting a program going,” said Victoria. “The pandemic and the shift to online learning created the perfect storm for me to get this project started.”
Dale Smith, the materials manager at Continental Structural Plastics’ facility in Carey, Ohio, (and also Victoria’s father), saw his daughter’s post on LinkedIn about the program, and knew CSP could help. He, along with co-worker Nick Koehler, a system support analyst at the CSP plant, identified the 15 laptops in the recycling bin as an opportunity to donate, rather than dispose of, the equipment.
“They are all about 3 to 5 years-old and were in the recycle bin as part of the usual company rotation where we get new laptops in and dispose of, or recycle the old ones,” explained Dale. “With the approval of our plant manager, we removed the hard drives from these laptops and donated them to Heidelberg.”
This was a win-win situation. CSP saved the expense of disposing of the laptops, and Heidelberg gained 15 laptops. Victoria, who says she really enjoys “Frankensteining” devices together, installed new, Heidelberg hard drives in the laptops, and has made them available as loaners to any student, either living on campus or studying at home.
“On behalf of our university students who will benefit from your generosity, I want to thank CSP for donating 15 Dell laptop computers to Heidelberg,” said
Kurt Huenemann, associate vice president, Information Resources at Heidelberg. “This gift is very timely as our students deal with the COVID pandemic and adapt to online learning where a decent computer is required but not always available. CSP’s donation has greatly enhanced our ability to fill the gaps and keep them moving ahead with their studies, whether at home or on campus. Tori Smith has been a great advocate for our students and I’m pleased that we are able to make this connection with CSP.”
“We see this as an opportunity to give back to the community that has been so supportive of our operations for years,” said Joseph Drago, plant manager at CSP Carey. “I am especially committed to helping the educational community any way I can, because I believe this community is at the heart of developing our youth and future leaders.”
# # #
About Continental Structural Plastics
Continental Structural Plastics, a Teijin Group company, has provided leading-edge technologies in lightweight composite solutions for the automotive, heavy truck, HVAC and construction industries for 50 years. Headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, CSP provides full-service engineering support, and holds multiple patents covering materials development and manufacturing processes. The company has operations on three continents and more than 4,300 employees. For more information, visit cspplastics.com.
About the Teijin Group
Teijin (TSE: 3401) is a technology-driven global group offering advanced solutions in the fields of environmental value; safety, security and disaster mitigation; and demographic change and increased health consciousness. Originally established as Japan’s first rayon manufacturer in 1918, Teijin has evolved into a unique enterprise encompassing three core business domains: high-performance materials including aramid, carbon fibers and composites, and also resin and plastic processing, films, polyester fibers and products converting; healthcare including pharmaceuticals and home healthcare equipment for bone/joint, respiratory and cardiovascular/metabolic diseases, nursing care and pre-symptomatic healthcare; and IT including B2B solutions for medical, corporate and public systems as well as packaged software and B2C online services for digital entertainment. Deeply committed to its stakeholders, as expressed in the brand statement “Human Chemistry, Human Solutions”, Teijin aims to be a company that supports the society of the future. The group comprises more than 170 companies and employs some 20,000 people across 20 countries worldwide. Teijin posted consolidated sales of JPY 853.7 billion (USD 8.0 billion) and total assets of JPY 1,004.2 billion (USD 9.4 billion) in the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2020. Please visit www.teijin.com.