“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” Benjamin Franklin
A phrase used widely in training courses, business meetings, sales conferences the world over … But what company could have been 100% prepared for the explosion that has been Covid-19?
2020 has been one of the biggest challenges for many years, not just for manufacturing, but health care, government, emergency services and many other sectors.
As a company, planning future scenarios and expectations has been reduced from years to days in response to the ravage of a pandemic, but past experience has taught the STAUFF UK management team to react quickly, responsibly and review regularly.
STAUFF UK has been able to draw on resources and relationships with both suppliers and customers to assist and ease supply chain issues, not only in raw materials and product but also to fulfil requirements of PPE to ensure our staff and visitors are safe.
As examples: one of our suppliers (a local distillery who last year supplied promotional bottles of gin for Christmas) reacted to the governments call to switch their processing to make hand sanitiser and not only supplied ourselves but to the local NHS community.
Our tube manipulation facilities have responded to assist in the emergency production of components to manufacture hospital beds … we, with our business partners, have actively encouraged diversity.
The government's furlough scheme was adopted very early and has been managed to assist in the safeguarding of jobs, the flexibility introduced at a later date has allowed us to rotate staff and not only ensure we have the correct people to undertake the work, but also offer respite to those struggling with the enforced isolation at home.
Our staff have shown commitment, humility, respect and understanding of the decisions made. Those remaining within our facilities have readily adopted and more importantly contributed to the new work process and movements around the premises. Many of those furloughed have turned their talents to helping the community with such projects as manufacturing face masks for local medical staff, but above all protecting themselves from the virus threat … resulting in zero cases of STAUFF UK staff contracting Covid-19.
As we begin to see grassroots of change there is actually still a long way to go and many challenges to face, preparation for the continued growth of STAUFF in the UK goes on … now hand in hand with actions to defend against the unexpected and unthinkable.