As we look back on the past 12 months, we are very proud of how effectively our team has navigated through the many changes we have had to put in place since the beginning COVID-19 pandemic. We also are very aware that this pandemic and its impacts on workplaces and businesses is far from over. There will likely be additional measures put in place in the coming weeks and months while nation-wide vaccination programs are rolled out in Canada and the US.
First and foremost, the safety of our staff, suppliers, and customers remains our top priority. With this in mind, a COVID-19 task force was established in the summer of 2020 with the goal of continuing to assess our current practices and discuss opportunities for improvement. With ongoing feedback from staff, we have put in place additional measures to ensure we operate a safe working environment, meeting or bettering our regional or federal health authority guidelines.
Below is an updated list of our workplace practices:
Preventing the Spread of COVID-19
Within our office and manufacturing environments, we continue to ensure full compliance with the Province of British Columbia’s Guidance for BC Manufacturers as well as, the Manufacturing and COVID-19 safety protocols established by WorkSafeBC.
Our COVID-19 safety policies include:
– Mandatory hand-hygiene when entering our facility.
– Mandatory 2-meter social distancing and mask-wearing
– Daily facility cleaning throughout our office and manufacturing environments conducted by both staff and our 3rd party cleaners
– Distancing barriers added to workstations
– Staggered staff entry to our manufacturing facility
– Disinfecting kits for all departments
– Daily staff screening
We continue to operate with visitor restrictions in place, allowing only pre-authorized visitors who have completed a health-questionnaire in advance. Visitors are required to wear a mask while visiting our office or manufacturing environments. Please consult with your primary Hemlock contact for more information about visiting our facilities.
Our workplace policies and practices are supported by signage posted throughout our facilities.
These measures will continue to be in place until further notice. Any future changes will follow the guidance provided from our regional and federal health authorities.
Flexible Business Response
Over the past 10-months, we have successfully employed a flexible production model, providing the opportunity to scale our capacity as needed, on very short notice. We anticipate this model will continue to be in place over the next 6-months We are working closely across all departments and with support from our suppliers to ensure timely customer service and on-time delivery of all products to all markets we serve.
Supply Chains and Logistics
We have not experienced, nor do we anticipate, any interruptions within our supply chains including paper, ink, printing plates and other essential materials used within our processes.
Our logistics supply chain, in particular those facilitating shipping and couriers to and from the US have not experienced any interruptions, nor do we anticipate any interruptions in the future.
We are in regular contact with our key suppliers to ensure a reliable and continued availability of all necessary materials, maintenance support, subtrades and logistics services.
Onsite and Remote Press Approvals
In accordance with our updated visitor policies, we are now supporting onsite customer visits, on a pre-authorized basis which requires a health questionnaire to be completed and submitted in advance. Please consult your Account Representative for further information.
Since Spring 2020, we have been successfully utilizing video conference and high-resolution digital photography to facilitate remote press approvals. To learn more about this offering, take a look at our Remote Press Checks Inklings blog post.
We are committed to keeping all stakeholders informed and updated on our response to the COVID-19 outbreak and in doing our part in the global fight against this virus. As we collectively work through these challenges, we thank you for your ongoing business and support. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your primary Hemlock contact with questions or feedback.
Rob Baker
Director, Manufacturing
rbaker@hemlock.com
Richard Kouwenhoven
President & COO
richard@hemlock.com