After a series of partial and full lockdowns, our site in Zhongshan, China is now back to 100% capacity. Zhongshan is 1,000 km away from Wuhan, the city where the coronavirus is said to have originated from. A partial manufacturing quarantine came into effect here towards the end of January, but a full lockdown followed within a few days. Our site reopened partially on 16 March and has been at full capacity since 2 April.
We are more than happy to be back at work, though we haven’t gone back to ‘business as usual’. In fact, we have implemented many detailed process changes to ensure everyone’s safety and well-being. These changes also impact our lives outside of work, with the aim of keeping our families safe too.
Our new safety measures involve changing mind-sets, building new habits and ensuring proactive attitudes. Moreover, these measures can serve as best practices for other sites when restrictions start to ease around the world. They take what we’ve learned since the initial outbreak into consideration, as well as the idea that we need to continue living with COVID-19 in the long-term.
The new processes prioritise sanitation, hygiene and social distancing. We’ve considered various risks and how to address them, as well as the Personal Protective Equipment needed to ensure safety. We now have guidelines to keep entrances, workspaces and communal spaces sanitized. We have also implemented measures like staggered lunch breaks to make social distancing possible, and have eliminated in-person meetings wherever possible. Our guidelines also focus on commuting to and from work, and outline how to ensure safety upon returning home.
People around the world are going to have to adjust to this new reality, no matter how long it takes for us to resolve the pandemic. However, it’s important to remember that these new processes are not some sort of punishment. We care about our people and it’s of the utmost importance to put that care into practice whenever we can. This change might be difficult at first, but we hope that everyone soon takes comfort in our commitment to care, and continues to share in this commitment moving forward.
By Frank Thielen
Divisional CEO Ventures
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