Regional Government Commissioner Bärbel Schäfer visiting Micronas in Freiburg

Freiburg, September 7, 2015 – On Tuesday, 1 September, Micronas welcomed Regional Government Commissioner Bärbel Schäfer at the company’s operative headquarters in Freiburg’s industrial area Nord. The use of various hazardous substances is essential for the production of semiconductor-based silicon chips for automotive and industrial electronics, such as those made by Micronas. The necessary operating permits are issued directly by the regional government commissioner’s office (Regierungspräsidium) in its function as licensing and supervisory authority. Following a tour of the operative facility with exclusive presentations of the various production areas, the visit focused on the collaboration between Micronas and the regional government commissioner’s office and on Micronas‘ commitment in terms of environmental protection and use of resources. Micronas regularly documents its environmental projects by way of an environmental statement and has since 2002 volunteered for an annual environmental audit with certification under the EMAS Standard (Eco Management and Audit Scheme), also known as EU Eco Audit.

“Once we see an opportunity to exceed the regulatory provisions relating to the protection of the environment, we always try to implement such a solution”, says Daniel Wäger, CFO at Micronas. “Good examples for our energy saving projects are our own photovoltaic system or the combined heat and power unit we commissioned in 2014. The collaboration between Micronas and the government authority has been very constructive in all these projects”.

“I’m always really pleased when I see an enterprise voluntarily committing to the protection of the environment”, says Bärbel Schäfer, Regional Government Commissioner for the Freiburg district. “Micronas clearly shows that economic considerations are on a par with ecological concerns”.

Besides its contribution to the “green industrial zone”, Micronas also makes great efforts to network enterprises and services at its local technology park. This park offers the resident businesses the best possible infrastructure – ranging from the supply of ultrapure water right through to the joint use of media technology and the staff canteen. However, there is as yet no exchange of experience with other companies in the region which have a similar concept. This is another issue for which the regional government office offered its support.

Another topic discussed involved the nationality of the people working at the Freiburg location. Besides the majority of German employees, there is also a large contingent of specialised personnel from the whole of Europe. Most of these are French who commute every day between the neighbouring Alsace region and Freiburg. In view of the high youth unemployment rate in France, dual Franco-German training and education systems are seen as a viable solution. Micronas is proud to be an attractive employer also in the neighbouring country.

About Micronas
Micronas (SIX Swiss Exchange: MASN), the most preferred partner for sensing and control serves all major automotive electronics customers worldwide, many of them in long-term partnerships for lasting success. While the holding company is headquartered in Zurich (Switzerland), operational headquarters are based in Freiburg (Germany). Currently, the Micronas Group employs around 900 persons. For more information about Micronas and its products, please visit www.micronas.tdk.com.

For further information
Julia Andris
Public Relations Manager
Tel.: +49 761 517 2531
E-Mail: media@micronas.com