No doubt all of you have been affected in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping the globe. First and foremost, we hope that you, your families, and your colleagues remain healthy and safe.
At ELSCO, we are trying to strike a delicate balance. On one side are our obligations to keeping our employees healthy and safe, and to doing our part to slow the spread of this disease through social distancing. On the other side are our needs to sustain operational integrity on behalf of you our customer, your customers, and the global flow of commerce that supports all of us. Here is what we are doing to strike that balance:
- We remain open for business and we are manufacturing and shipping product. Our factory is working at full capacity and we are increasing our stock of finished goods inventory so that we are prepared to serve you in the event of either a work stoppage or supply chain interruption. But thus far, we have not missed any shipments and we are not in jeopardy of missing any shipments in the near term.
- We have secured at least six months of inventory and/or confirmed orders for raw materials in our supply chain. Although on-hand inventory positions vary, provided all our suppliers meet confirmed obligations, we should have material to continue serving you for the next six months at least. We recognize, of course, that this may not be possible for all of our suppliers; we have placed orders with backup suppliers where we foresee risk and where possible.
- We are transferring many administrative employees to work-from-home status during this period. With the technology at our disposal, our goal is to make this transition seamless and transparent to you, our customer.
- We have instituted common-sense policies for our essential on-site employees that include minimum physical distances between factory workers and enhanced cleaning and sanitation procedures.
- We have instituted a non-essential travel ban. This does mean that we will not be making routine sales calls during this time, but if technical assistance is urgently required on-site, please let us know.
We are proud to be a small but vital cog in the vast economic engine that provides paychecks, supports health care, and puts food on the table for our families, our customers’ families, and so many others across the world. We are addressing this crisis with urgency and taking calm, reasonable action to uphold our role in that engine while supporting the greater public health.
We thank you for your business and we look forward to conquering this challenge in partnership with you, our suppliers, and the rest of the world.
Sincerely,
Douglas Hamilton
President, ELSCO