It has been approximately 4-months since our last update on Hemlock’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. I am proud to report that our team has pulled together and adapted extremely well to the many changes we have made across our operations. In accordance with regional and federal health authority guidelines, we have well established hand hygiene, social distancing, mask wearing and visitor policies in place to protect the health and safety of our staff. We would like to thank our customers and suppliers for their ongoing support as we collectively navigate our way through this challenging time.
Below is a list of important updates, following up our last communication on April 9.
Preventing the Spread of COVID-19
Within our office and manufacturing environments, we are ensuring 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 in the event the minimum 2-meter distance cannot be accommodated.
– Daily facility cleaning throughout our office and manufacturing environments conducted by both staff and our 3rd party cleaners.
We continue to operate with visitor restrictions in place, allowing only pre-authorized visitors who have completed a health-questionnaire in advance. Unless authorized 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 be in place until further notice. Any future changes will follow the guidance provided from our regional and federal health authorities.
Flexible Business Response
As anticipated, we have been experiencing steady month over month improvements to our business activity and have structured our production capacity to ensure we are able to meet the needs of our customers now and in the future.
Since the beginning of April, we have been successfully using a flexible production model, providing the opportunity to scale our capacity as needed, on very short notice.
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, Logistics and Continuity Planning
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.
In the event the outbreak has a direct impact on our operations, we continue to maintain the availability of partner facilities within Canada and the US to ensure continuity of production should the need arise.
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 April, 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 April 3rd Inklings blog post.
COVID-19 Infographic Posters Program
Thanks to our ongoing partnership with HP, Spicers and Novex Couriers, we are pleased to continue to offer, free of charge, Infographic signage which communicates the practices we must all adopt to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
To learn more about this program, visit our Inklings blog post, or visiting the ordering page.
The program is specifically directed to organizations within the Vancouver Lower Mainland, but if you are interested in receiving posters outside of this area, please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
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.
Richard Kouwenhoven
President & COO
richard@hemlock.com