TRUMPF Inc. donates power tools to Haitian rebuilding effort

TRUMPF Inc. recently donated 10 of its TruTool S130 power tools for use in Haiti's reconstruction efforts.

The company made the donation to Relief International, a non-profit agency rated four stars by Charity Navigator. The power tools will be used for Relief International's shelter program and hand carried into Haiti by volunteers traveling to the country.

According to a representative from Relief International, the TruTool S130 will be used to clear existing metal structural components, such as corrugated metal roofs, which have been damaged and rendered unusable by the quake, and in helping families to build new housing. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck January 12 is estimated to have caused the immediate death of more than 230,000, injured approximately 300,000 and displaced up to 1 million people from their homes.

Relief International's shelter program—funded by the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs—is targeting its efforts to assist approximately 20,000 non-displaced individuals who have chosen to remain living next to their damaged or destroyed housing in makeshift shelters.

"When we learned that tools were needed for the rebuilding process, we knew we could help and responded with the donation of the TruTool S130," said Rolf Biekert, president and CEO of Farmington, Connecticut-based TRUMPF Inc., a wholly-owned, U.S. subsidiary of Germany's TRUMPF Group. "With the rainy season fast approaching, there is a critical need in Haiti for equipment to help rebuild homes and other shelters," he explained.

In addition to TRUMPF's donation of power tools, the company and its employees have made a monetary contribution to the Haitian relief effort.