Covestro donates processing equipment to Pennsylvania College of Technology

As part of its corporate giving program, i³ Give, Covestro recently donated a complete advanced co-extrusion sheet processing unit to Pennsylvania College of Technology (Penn College). Additionally, Covestro will provide Penn College faculty and students with expert onsite training, including demonstration tooling, to initiate the project.

"We're grateful for the opportunity to help Penn College elevate its curriculum in this tangible way," noted Mark Matsco, director of application development, Covestro LLC. "Giving students access to this equipment not only enhances their skill set but also helps us continue our mission to support improved STEM education."

Penn College, located in Williamsport, Pa., offers a B.S. in plastics and polymer engineering technology and an A.A.S. in plastics and polymer technology. Participants from both programs are expected to benefit from hands-on experience using the co-extruder.

"Our students learn all the major plastics processes in an effort to provide them with the well-rounded educational experience employers are looking for," said Shannon Munro, executive director, workforce development and continuing education at Penn College. "This equipment donation – the first of its kind on campus – will expand our capabilities in the plastics field and provide our students with a unique and valuable training experience that further increases their marketability for future employment."

Covestro is a member of the Plastics Innovation & Resource Center (PIRC) at Penn College, a department within the College that serves the education, training and research & development needs of plastic processors, resin suppliers, mold builders and equipment manufacturers. The PIRC offers access to extensive material testing laboratories, industrial-scale process equipment, world-class training facilities and a highly skilled training and consulting staff. Covestro has worked with the PIRC on thermoforming, blow molding and testing projects for the past several years.

"Our strong relationship with Penn College gives students the opportunity to work on practical, real-world projects with Covestro," added Philipp Polenz, head of commercial operations for the company's North American Polycarbonates business. "By helping to solve actual problems alongside our own people, these apprentices interested in the plastics processing industry can gain useful and practical experience that will serve them well in their careers."

About Covestro LLC:
Covestro LLC is one of the leading producers of high-performance polymers in North America and is part of the global Covestro business with 2016 sales of EUR 11.9 billion. Covestro manufactures high-tech polymer materials and develops innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, electrical and electronics, construction, medical and sports and leisure industries. The Covestro group has 30 production sites around the globe and employed approximately 15,600 people at the end of 2016.

Find more information at www.covestro.com or www.plastics.covestro.com.

About i³ (ignite, imagine, innovate):
i³ (ignite, imagine, innovate) is Covestro LLC's companywide corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative that aims to spark curiosity, to envision what could be and to help create it. Built on the three pillars of philanthropy (i³ Give), employee volunteerism (i³ Engage) and STEM education (i³ Give), i³ seeks to create sustainable and lasting impacts. i³ Give is designed to innovate corporate philanthropy strategies that combine both human and financial resources to build stronger communities. i³ Engage re-imagines the way employees from for-profits and nonprofits engage with one another for more effective outcomes. And, i³ STEM ignites young minds to become the innovators of tomorrow through support of hands-on, inquiry-based STEM education, workforce experience and employee volunteerism.

About Penn College:
Pennsylvania College of Technology became a special mission affiliate of The Pennsylvania State University in 1989 after establishing a national reputation for applied technology education supporting workforce development. Nearly 5,500 students are enrolled at Penn College in over 100 fields of study. The Workforce Development & Continuing Education department of the College, where the PIRC resides, had more than 7,500 enrollments in short-term training programs in business, plastics, healthcare, computer, energy and industrial in 2016, offering customized training options to companies and their incumbent workers.

For information on those programs and others offered by the college's School of Industrial, Computing & Engineering Technologies or the PIRC, call 570-321-5533 or email [email protected].

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's public reports which are available on the Covestro website at www.covestro.com. Covestro assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

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SOURCE Covestro LLC

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