In a statement released today (16 March), the Japanese manufacturer expressed its condolences to the victims of the crisis and laid out its response.

It said: “For the Konica Minolta Group, the safety and wellbeing of its global team members and their families are the top priority. Supporting the safety of the Ukrainian colleagues, our European employees have been giving assistance, through the neighbouring Konica Minolta subsidiaries, to relocation, transportation, immigration services and more, for Ukrainian colleagues and their families who are able and want to leave their homes.

“In order to deliver donations as direct support to our employees in Ukraine and surrounding countries who are supporting Ukraine, who are all our family members, Konica Minolta, Inc. launched a matching gift fundraising activity in which the company contributes the same amount to voluntary donations from employees. We are also inviting the group companies in Japan to join donations through the same mechanism.

“Overseas group companies also work on assistance and donation to Ukraine as a voluntary activity by their employees. The European regional headquarters in Germany is also continuing its support and donation activities with employees in Europe.”

Konica Minolta’s product shipments to Russia is also currently suspended.

“We sincerely hope that people who are spending frightful days and nights in Ukraine and surrounding areas will return to their hometowns and resume life in peace as soon as possible,” the statement concluded.

Tadahiko Sumitani, president of Konica Minolta Business Solutions Europe, had already written to the company’s customers about the crisis earlier this month.