HEALTH & SAFETY
EXPORTA SOURCES THEIR OWN PPE AND SANITISATION PRODUCTS IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19
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xporta Global has adapted its services extensively during the pandemic while continuing to support some of the U.K’s most essential industries. This includes food (and food manufacture), agriculture and pharmaceutical/healthcare (NHS suppliers). Throughout the pandemic, they have been working hard to minimise the impact of COVID-19 on the supply chain. This has involved setting up robust supply chains with more than one supplier for each range of products. Exporta has also sourced new products from new suppliers and put in a place a rapid new product development programme to shorten the process of bringing items into the market. The company were fortunate enough to have contingency plans in place as part of their standard working practices and business continuity plans. Different suppliers were put in place for each product range, should there be an issue with one manufacturer or a particular region. Exporta also buys in bulk from the majority of their manufacturers and as such always carry large levels of stock in warehouses ready for next day delivery. They have been able to keep replenishment topped up and have maintained good stock levels throughout the lockdown and restriction period. This has meant supply chains for essential services experienced very little impact from the pandemic when working with Exporta. Despite the nationwide shortages, they had reserve stock and even pivoted their business model to create a line of sanitisation products using local suppliers in Scotland. In addition to new product development, they launched a Rapid Response Team to assist businesses with a smooth transition back into the workplace. This includes construction services, solutions for offices as well as manufacturing and distribution businesses.
The RRT will provide design consultation to maximise space utilisation and support Government guidance on social distancing and reducing the spread of COVID-19.
Sourcing PPE and sanitisation products in the wake of nationwide shortages was no easy task.
It required rapid new product development and marketing for a new range of hand sanitisers, which have been sourced from local distilleries in Scotland. Alongside the liquid sanitiser, Exporta developed foot-operated sanitiser dispensers and hand washing stations for use in offices and industrial settings.
Exporta managed to securely source more PPE, introducing surgical masks, FFP2 & FFP3 masks, branded face coverings, digital viral thermometers, gloves, goggles and visors.
“All regular U.K suppliers had run out of stock so we went directly to international suppliers to purchase OEM products. They then followed stringent quality control processes, to ensure compliance with all required certification to maintain a continued supply to core customers,” Don Marshall head of ecommerce & fulfilment. The brand sourced different types of workplace partitions, signage, floor markings, desk screens and dividers to help enforce social distancing. Other signage has been developed as a visible reminder to employees of their collective responsibility to ensure they are handwashing on a routine basis.
As well as the standard practice of hand-washing and sanitising, workplace divisions are becoming more common. Specialist Glass Product screens have been installed in KC Communication’s office - a digital PR agency in Leeds. Megan Booth, an Account Manager at the agency, explains how the divides will work in their small city-centre office. ‘The glass screens are on every desk in the office. As Lockdown starts to ease, we’ve only had a reduced number of employees at once to help with social distancing. There are seven of us in total usually in the office, but only a maximum of four people have been allowed in at once. So, we can always work two meters apart. SGP delivers the glass and fastenings and you can easily install them yourself.’
As employers across the U.K plan a careful return to work and how they will aim to increase operations that have been scaled down due to
16 JULY/AUGUST2020 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
COVID-19, Exporta is on hand to offer workplace solutions and advice.
The Rapid Support Team exists to help businesses adapt to the current fast-changing work environment. Exporta has deployed a Rapid Support Team to assist businesses in managing new practices under COVID-19, working within UK Government guidelines. The aim is to get businesses back to full functionality while continuing to protect against the pandemic. This commitment extends to ensuring all spaces are safe and hygienic places to work - whether that is in an office, factory or on the shop floor. Aston Martin Lagonda recently reopened their site in South Wales and their safer working guidelines were put in place to protect more 600 manufacturing employees. Using a cross- functional team, they developed return to work guidelines following Public Health Executive (PHE) and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines. The key principles Aston Martin has introduced include:
• PPE equipment provided, with masks worn at all times (in line with the company’s risk assessment)
• Sanitiser dispensers available across sites • Cleaning frequency increased in all areas and across all sites
• Seating areas rearranged to comply with social distancing guidelines
• Visuals, daily briefings, and posters to remind employees of social distancing and hand washing Compliance with these measures can only be enforced with the correct visual aids, products and installation techniques. The future of the workplace will function very differently than before the pandemic, with the safety and wellbeing of employees across all industries a priority. Exporta will continue to lead in sourcing products and services that can be adapted for use in the workplace, to ease this transition for business leaders in these uncertain times.
Exporta
www.exportaglobal.co.uk
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