Composites industry response to the coronavirus pandemic, Part 1

Editors’ note: The editorial team at CompositesWorld has received a number of messages and press releases from composites industry suppliers and fabricators affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The messages and responses compiled through March 31, 2020 can be found below. To see the latest coverage, see “Composites suppliers, fabricators respond to coronavirus.”

If you have a message you’d like to share with the composites industry through this page, please send an email to jeff@compositesworld.com.

For more information on business conditions, see Gardner Intelligence. For guidance on approaching coronavirus as an employer, we recommend the CDC website.

Structural Composites and Compsys Inc. (Prisma Preforms) to remain open supporting defense critical infrastructure

March 31, 2020

TCC (Structural Composites/Compsys) has implemented safe working practices to allow continued operation during the coronavirus outbreak. The company says its operations are part of the Defense Critical Infrastructure and Critical Infrastructure supply chain. 

While the company is giving priority to Department of Defense/coronavirus mitigation efforts, it says it is  open to all commercial business including new customers, as well. Its standard services include Prisma Preforms, prototype and part fabrication, fabric kit cutting, waterjet cutting, engineering/design, FEA analysis and lab testing. 

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ACMA to host webinar series on COVID-19

March 31, 2020

The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA; Arlington, Va., U.S.) is hosting a webinar at 2 p.m. ET on April 2, 2020, entitled “A Closer Look at Federal Legislation and Stimulus,” as part of its ongoing COVID-19 webinar series. The webinar is free to attend for ACMA members. Register here.

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ROSS remains fully operational

ROSS (Hauppauge, N.Y., U.S.), manufacturer of industrial mixers and dispersion equipment, says its U.S. companies remain fully operational and are prepared to support its customers’ process equipment needs. ROSS says its operations support “critical infrastructure" and “essential business” industries such as 
food, pharmaceutical, health, chemical and the U.S. Defense Department.

Among its precautionary health measures, the company has implemented new teleworking strategies with increased remote working capabilities for employees, as well as adjustments to in-office personnel workforce.

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Source | GRP Solutions

GRP Solutions launches campaign to donate face masks to U.K. hospitals

March 31, 2020

In a U.K.-centered effort, composites distributor GRP Solutions (Havant, U.K.) along with its partner companies, GRP Consumable Solutions and Total Composite Solutions, have begun a campaign to encourage companies to donate PPE equipment, such as face masks, to local hospitals, GP surgeries and emergency services.

The company has released the video below to support the campaign and is supported by NatWest, INEOS, Composites UK, the National Composites Centre, the Advanced Engineering Show 2020, Med Supply Drive UK and Quantum Mouldings alongside local representation from the Isle of Wight Distribution and Millstream Productions, which produced the video.

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Janicki Industries confirms ‘essential business’ status

March 30, 2020

Composites fabricator Janicki Industries (Sedro-Woolley, Wash., U.S.) reports that is considered an “essential” business because it does work for customers throughout the United States and that it plans to continue operations during the coronavirus pandemic. “We recognize the stressful state that we are all going through in this unprecedented situation,” says Steven Lynn, director marketing at Janicki. “Employees are implementing all the suggested protocols the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has offered to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.” For example, employees social-distancing and using teleconferencing instead of face-to-face meetings. Janicki also is distributing cleaning kits and sanitizing surfaces that people contact. Employees who feel sick or unsafe can take paid or unpaid leave. “Health and safety for both our employees and people in our community remain top priority," Lynn says. “We monitor the situation closely to make changes as needed. Janicki Industries is very fortunate to have work lined up so we will not be affected much by the large drop-off in the economy.”

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Embraer announces temporarily workforce changes at Brazil plant

March 30, 2020

Embraer (São José dos Campos, Brazil) says on March 30 that it will resume critical operations in order to meet the needs of customers, public services and the global population.

During a temporary shutdown of its Brazil plant, the company has identified essential roles within its management team to continue operations, including customer support, aircraft maintenance and manufacturing positions. Embraer has also established a new working group to increase the availability of equipment and solutions, including manufacturing parts for the respirator industry, to combat COVID-19.

Employees responsible for critical functions and that can work remotely will work from home. Employees responsible for non-critical functions will be on collective vacation from April 1-9, 2020. These employees are scheduled to return to work on April 13, 2020.

During the temporary shutdown of company units in Brazil, Embraer completed several projects, including adapting the workstations and common areas, intensifying cleaning procedures, adapting cafeterias and work areas to ensure social distancing and reinforcing communications tools with precautions and preventative actions. The measures adopted are in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and seek to ensure that employees perform their roles with guidance from the company's health and safety teams.

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ExOne continues U.S. manufacturing operations 

March 30, 2020

Manufacturer of industrial 3D printers and services ExOne (North Huntingdon, Pa., U.S.) continues to remain open and is continuing operations with appropriate precautions in place. The company says it is part of the supply chain for supplies to the U.S. defense industrial base, including the Department of Defense, the Armed Services, NASA and the International Space Station and more.

In addition, ExOne says it:

• is continuing to provide binder, activator, cleaner, media, and spare parts to customers. 
• is working to fill emergency demand for metal and ceramic parts, as well as sand molds and cores. Its turnaround for most sand orders is 3-5 days.
• can provide injection molding tooling as well as innovative, rapid tooling solutions for composite part production.

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Shape Machining temporarily closes U.K. operations

March 27, 2020

Composites machining company Shape Machining Ltd. (Witney, U.K.) has announced that due to a downturn business and the safety of its staff, its operations are temporarily shut down effective March 30 until further notice.

The company says it will continue to deliver pre-agreed orders up until April 3 and will ensure a skeleton crew is available regarding any urgent questions.

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Toray Advanced Composites makes adjustments to production in accordance with local government orders

March 27, 2020

Toray Advanced Composites (Morgan Hill, Calif., U.S.) has announced that its California-based facilities have made adjustments to operations, manufacturing only essential government infrastructure orders and reducing supporting staff to the bare minimum. New measures for cleaning and the use of PPE during shifts have been implemented throughout the facilities to respect social distancing instructions. The company’s U.K. and Netherlands facilities are operating under normal production schedules, although new measures to ensure employee safety have been made throughout the plant and on-site staff levels have been reduced to those essential for safe operating. The company says it will continue to keep its partners and customers updated when the status of any of its facilities changes.

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Simutence moves to remote-only operations

March 27, 2020

Simulation company Simutence (Karlsruhe, Germany), a spin-off company of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), has announced that all of its operations are being conducted remotely from home offices. The company says it plans to use this time for further development of its process and structural simulation approaches for fiber-reinforced composites and hybrids, and that its availability to customers remains unchanged.

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Montalvo Corp.'s web tension control services support ramped-up production

March 26, 2020

As manufacturers are rapidly changing their manufacturing processes to meet market needs in these challenging times, web tension control specialist Montalvo Corp. (Gorham, Maine, U.S.) is supporting these changing circumstances with its knowledge and expertise. For more than 73 years, Montalvo has been demonstrating its web and tow tension control expertise across various industries, including composites, medical and nonwovens. The company sizes applications, determining optimal tension values for a wide range of processes based on both the materials and the machines unique characteristics. Customers have expanded their use of Montalvo’s in-house testing capabilities. Montalvo sends this testing data back to manufacturers so they can ensure their machines are running with optimal parameters for increased productivity and efficiency.

The company reports that it is ready to help manufacturers with testing capabilities and libraries of material specification data to support ramped-up production during this time.

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Scott Bader launches new thickener for alcohol-based hand cleansers to help global effort

March 26, 2020

Scott Bader (Northamptonshire, U.K.), which manufactures resins for composites fabrication, has, within 10 days, developed and brought to market a new thickener for alcohol-based hand cleansers. With Texicryl 13-321, manufacturers will be able to produce more hand cleansers to fight against the global spread of infections and viruses including COVID-19.

“In less than a month, we have taken a concept from lab to full scale production. We are pleased that we have been able to use our expertise to develop a product that is in short supply and will have a significant impact on the provision of hand cleansers,” says Mark Stanion, group product manager

More information on Texicryl 13-321 can be found at www.scottbader.com.

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Utility Composites Inc. continues normal operations

March 25, 2020

Utility Composites Inc. (Hutto, Texas, U.S.) plans to continue normal manufacturing operations to provide materials to essential businesses in multiple sectors. In doing so, Utility Composites Inc. will continue to take the appropriate precautions to operate in a responsible manner, and ensure the safety of employees, customers and business partners.

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Hawkeye Industries operates under normal production schedule

March 25, 2020

Hawkeye Industries (Bloomington, Calif., U.S.) is operating under normal production schedule with inventory levels to support industry needs. In compliance with CDC recommendations, all employees who are capable of working from home are currently doing so. 

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Plasmatreat North America remains open, and is developming new plasma applications to address disinfectant shortage

March 25, 2020

Plasmatreat North America (Elgin, Ill., U.S.) reports that it is open for business and ready to support customers the best and safest way possible. The company’s labs and contract services remain open with a limited staff to safely support infrastructure critical sectors. Plasmatreat has made significant inventory investments (equipment and spare parts) to support customers during a time of supply chain concerns. Most of its teams are now working remotely and are available via phone, text, email or video conference. Plasmatreat’s parent company in Germany remains fully operational.
 
The company is also working on two new plasma applications addressing the growing concerns about a shortage of disinfecting agents and personal protective gear (PPE): new Openair-Plasma systems are being built to disinfect and sterilize PPE such as face masks and garments for safe reuse, as well as plasma activating water being produced to treat surfaces.

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Composite Integration continues to work through COVID-19 pandemic

March 25, 2020

Composite Integration (Saltash, U.K.) reports that is continuing to stay open, in line with government guidance. The company says it has taken strict health and safety measures to protect employees, families, customers and suppliers. The company also has several staff working remotely from home, reducing the contact levels internally, and is working with a skeleton crew at the main facility to fulfill customers’ requirements.

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Harper International continues essential operations

March 25, 2020

Harper International (Buffalo, N.Y., U.S.) has issued a statement to customers that as much of its highly engineered products currently in production are for deployment in the chemical, defense and energy manufacturing segments, its manufacturing operations have been deemed "essential" under the state of New York's executive order. Accordingly, Harper presently intends to continue operations in compliance with the order, while taking all necessary precautions to ensure the health and safety of its employees, vendors and customers.

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Revchem Composites operating “business as usual”

March 25, 2020

Revchem Composites (Bloomington, Calif., U.S.) is open for business as normal and continues to provide materials and services to essential businesses in multiple critical sectors. The company says it will continue to do everything it can to support its customers and provide the necessary materials they need. 

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Aligned Vision supports customers from home offices

March 25, 2020

Per state mandates, the Aligned Vision (Waltham, Mass., U.S.) staff is currently working from home, but says it is still available to support its customers. Customers can call the main phone line (978-244-1166) for redirection to the correct person on the technical support team, and various specific teams can be contacted through ongoing email support:

• Sales – sales@aligned-vision.com
• Technical Support – support@aligned-vision.com
• Logistics – logistics@aligned-vision.com
• Invoices/Payments – invoices@aligned-vision.com

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INEOS to build hand sanitizer plant to make 1 million bottles per month

March 24, 2020

Source | INEOS

INEOS (London,  U.K.), which supplies unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins and gelcoats to the composites industry, has announced plans to produce 1 million bottles of hand sanitizer per month to help with the European shortage. These will be produced according to World Health Organization (WHO) specifications and be specifically designed to kill bacteria and viruses.

INEOS is the leading European producer of the two key raw materials needed for sanitizers – isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and ethanol. The company is already running these plants flat out and have been diverting more of this product to essential medical use and will now build two new factories to make hand sanitizer from them.

INEOS intends to produce both standard and “pocket bottle” hand sanitizers and is already talking to retail outlets across Europe. Supplies to hospitals will be free of charge for the period of the crisis and the public will be able to purchase bottles through retailers.

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Magnum Venus Products issues statement to customers

March 24, 2020

Magnum Venus Products (MVP, Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.) has issued the following statement to its customers regarding the coronavirus:

As the global business community continues to feel the ripple effects of COVID-19 throughout the world’s industries, we want ­to pause to thank our customers and partners and extend our support in every way. Throughout this chaotic time, we’re committed to continuing to serve our communities to the best of our ability, and we’re being proactive in addressing any anticipated challenges regarding our supply chain and other aspects of our operations.

As is always the case, our highest priority remains the health and safety of the MVP Family, which includes not only our own employees and families, but the customers, distributors, suppliers and providers that play integral roles in everything we do. While we are taking the necessary steps to help our staff take care of themselves and their families, we are still operating at full capacity and standing by to provide the support you need.

While many state and local governments have recently issued their own “stay-at-home” orders, our company is considered essential because the products we manufacturer are utilized by customers in many business sectors, including food supply, transportation, energy and defense, which are integral to sustaining infrastructure. Our customers rely on the products and services we provide as an important part of their critical supply chain, and we are fully committed to remaining open and continuing operations to support our communities.

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IACMI issues statement on the coronavirus

March 24, 2020

In accordance with CDC recommendations and Knox County guidelines, the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (Knoxville, Tenn., U.S.) reports that its headquarters staff is working from home until Tuesday, April 7, 2020. 

The organization issued the below statement to the manufacturing industry:

The demands of the number of COVID-19 cases are already creating a strain on the resources needed to adequately meet healthcare provider needs, and the strain may continue as the virus spreads. Therefore, it is critical that the U.S. manufacturing community utilize its resources and capabilities to create solutions to this healthcare resource crisis.

Please consider what your organization’s role can be in creating solutions to meet collective challenges, such as the following:

• Existing and anticipated shortages of medical supplies and equipment
• Product and service availability, as well as knowledge outside of conventional purchasing chains
• Methods for broadly sharing solutions to the above

The IACMI community is working on these important problems. For example, Oak Ridge National Laboratory; the University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and industry partners are working to create near-term, large-scale manufacturing paths for masks, face shields, and other safety equipment by utilizing additive manufacturing to accelerate design validation and tool production.

Additionally, Manufacturing USA institutes are pooling resources to offer new ideas to create additional innovations. Institute responses include the following:

• LIFT and REMADE's support of ventilator design and production. 
• AmericaMakes is creating a repository of capabilities and resources to support the healthcare system.

As healthcare needs increase, the U.S. manufacturing community is challenged to consider innovative ways to meet the demand for ventilators, N95 respirators, masks, and protective eye wear. Please consider how your organization can take a role in addressing the emerging challenges presented by COVID-19.

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R-TECH Materials announces temporary U.K. facility closure

March 24, 2020

R-TECH Materials (Port Talbot, U.K.) has announced that in accordance with instruction the U.K. government, it has decided to close its laboratory for the three-week instructed period, but is still taking inquiries with key staff working from home until further notice.

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AWEA and partners send letter to U.S. Congress on behalf of U.S. wind industry

March 24, 2020

According to the American Wind Energy Association (Washington, D.C., U.S.), in a letter delivered on March 24 to U.S. House and Senate leadership, the clean energy sector is calling for the prompt repair and extension of critically important tax incentives to help renewable and clean grid industries surmount the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In their joint letter, the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), AWEA, Energy Storage Association (ESA), National Hydropower Association (NHA), Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA) and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) write that the growth of the clean energy sector is placed at risk by a range of COVID-19 related impacts. These impacts include “supply chain disruptions that have the potential to delay construction timetables and undermine the ability of wind, solar and hydropower developers to qualify for time-sensitive tax credits, and a sudden reduction in the availability of tax equity, which is crucial to monetizing tax credits and financing clean energy projects of all types.”

The coalition of organizations is requesting the following to address pandemic-related disruptions:

• An extension of start construction and safe harbor deadlines to ensure that renewable projects can qualify for renewable tax credits despite delays associated with supply chain disruptions;
• Provisions allowing renewable tax credits to be available for direct pay to facilitate their monetization in the face of reduced availability of tax equity; and
• Enactment of a direct pay tax credit for stand-alone energy storage to foster renewable growth and help secure a more resilient grid.

Click here to download a copy of the coalition letter.

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Airbus announces measures to bolster liquidity and balance sheet

March 24, 2020

Airbus SE (Amsterdam, Netherlands) announces measures to bolster its liquidity and balance sheet in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as it continues to assess the ongoing situation and the impact on its business, customers, suppliers and the industry as a whole.

Airbus’ management has received approval from the Board of Directors to: secure a new credit facility amounting to €15 billion in addition to the existing €3 billion revolving credit facility; withdraw the 2019 dividend proposal of €1.80 per share with an overall cash value of approximately €1.4 billion; and suspend the voluntary top up in pension funding. Given the limited visibility due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, the 2020 guidance is withdrawn. Operational scenarios, including measures to minimize cash requirements, have been identified and will be activated depending on the further development of the pandemic.

With these decisions, the company has significant liquidity available to cope with additional cash requirements related to the coronavirus. Liquidity resources previously standing at approximately €20 billion, comprising around €12 billion in financial assets at hand and around €8 billion in undrawn credit lines, were further bolstered by converting an existing €5 billion credit line into a new facility amounting to €15 billion. Available liquidity now amounts to approximately €30 billion.

By maintaining production, managing its resilient backlog, supporting its customers and securing financial flexibility for its operations, Airbus intends to secure business continuity for itself even in a protracted crisis. Safe and efficient air travel is a key backbone of global economic development and cultural exchange. Airbus therefore highly welcomes governmental efforts around the globe to stabilize this industry by supporting the financial health of its airline customers and its suppliers. Airbus continues to monitor the overall health of the industry.

Airbus will convene its 2020 Annual General Meeting in Amsterdam on April 16. Due to the global outbreak of COVID-19, Airbus discourages physical attendance and strongly encourages shareholders to vote by proxy in line with public health and safety measures.

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Bindatex announces company coronavirus policy

March 24, 2020

In response to the coronavirus, Bindatex (Bolton, U.K.) has changed its systems and processes in order to keep its employees safe and to minimize the impact on business partners. As of March 24, the company says it is manufacturing at full speed, meeting the needs of its customers and is prepared to respond as necessary to keep functioning as fully as possible.

The company also says it has implemented the government’s recommendations as well as its own measures, such as ensuring its staff receive full wages regardless of whether they choose to self-isolate or to come into work. Other measures include denying visitors, such as delivery drivers, access to the factory; replacing all cutlery and cups with paper or plastic versions; and promoting the thorough washing of hands throughout the day. The company has also decided to postpone any non-essential travel or meetings.

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Henkel launches comprehensive global solidarity program to support employees, customers and affected communities

March 24, 2020

Henkel (Düsseldorf, Germany) has announced a comprehensive global solidarity program to support employees, customers and communities facing the global COVID-19 pandemic. The program consists of:

1. Donation to WHO/UN Foundation fund and other organizations: An amount of €2 million will be donated to different funds and organizations to help fight the pandemic. The Fritz Henkel Foundation will donate €1 million directly to the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund launched by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) Foundation. This donation will help to provide protective equipment for frontline health workers, equip diagnostic laboratories, improve data collection and analysis, establish and maintain intensive care units as well as to accelerate research and development of potential vaccines and therapeutics. In addition, €1 million will be distributed by the Fritz Henkel Foundation globally to different organizations and partners as well as to support the personal commitment and voluntary engagement of employees fighting the crisis.

2. 

   Source | Henkel

   Donation of personal and household hygiene products: Henkel will also donate 5 million units of personal and household hygiene products globally. This includes hand sanitizers, soaps and protective equipment as well as detergents, disinfectants and other household cleaning products. Henkel’s corporate citizenship team will implement these donations in close coordination with charity organizations, local authorities and partners around the world.
3. Shifting production facilities to produce disinfectants: In addition, Henkel plans to produce disinfectants in selected production sites. The products are intended to help public institutions and professional groups in the fight against the coronavirus.
4. Improved payment terms for selected business partners: Henkel will also consider improved payment terms for small and mid-sized hairdressers to support them during the current challenging situation.
5. Ongoing crisis management and safety measures for employees: Since the onset of the crisis, Henkel has addressed the situation proactively through its crisis management teams on country, regional and global level. The primary objective of the crisis management is to do everything possible to ensure the safety of employees, customers and business partners and to maintain operations under these challenging circumstances.

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A&P Technology continues production during Ohio “Stay at Home” order

March 24, 2020

A&P Technology (Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.) reports that based on its customers’ needs for braided materials to support critical industries, it will continue production through Ohio’s two week “Stay at Home” order under the ‘essential business’ provision. “As we move forward with production, A&P employees continue to practice precautionary measures necessary for the containment of COVID-19,” the company says.

“Obviously, our production activity is limited. Some of our people are unable to work due to underlying medical conditions (either personal or family member’s) which make contraction of COVID-19 a high risk situation. Also, in order to reduce the path for infection for all of our employees, as well as to avoid an infection that would prompt a full scale shutdown, we are limiting the number of technicians present to maintain effective social distancing.”

The company says it is making every effort to meet all delivery schedules and release orders on time. Its sales team will stay in close contact with customers to provide updates on orders, and notify if delivery dates need to be modified. 

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Composite Resources manufactures face masks to meet hospital demands

March 23, 2020

Carbon fiber composite components manufacturer Composite Resources and its sister company CAT Resources (Rock Hill, S.C., U.S.) is shifting its resources to manufacture face masks and other medical supplies to meet healthcare shortages related to the coronavirus crisis.

See a video here.

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Polymer Technologies Inc. announces business continuity plan

March 23, 2020

Leaders from Polymer Technologies Inc. (Newark, Del., U.S.) have reported that the company is categorized as an “Essential to Critical Infrastructure Manufacturer” based on its manufacture of products critical to sustaining infrastructure that supports the life of those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  

In the event of a mandatory shutdown of all businesses except those deemed essential, Polymer Technologies Inc. says it will remain open to continue producing critical parts to customers.

The below actions have been taken to ensure the company’s business continuity:

• Company COVID-19 guidelines have been executed throughout all divisions and will be updated as required to ensure accordance with best practices.
• All suppliers have been formally notified of their responsibility to continue to supply Polymer Technologies Inc. per U.S Department of Homeland Security and where necessary business continuity plans have been requested.
• Polymer Technologies Inc. is currently in contact with local and state legislatures to ensure they understand the company’s position as an Essential to Critical Infrastructure Manufacturer.
• If and where shelter in place orders are mandated, all company employees have received “Essential to Critical Infrastructure Worker” Identification Cards.
• Gaps analysis and cross training are being executed to further ensure workforce continuity.

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Cetim Grand Est offers supplies to nearby hospital

March 23, 2020

Cetim Grand Est (Strasbourg, France) responds to the emergency call from the Grand Est Region regarding the shortage of medical equipment in its hospitals.

On Friday, March 20, the company sent about 120 FFP3 masks, 600 protective gloves, 150 full disposable coveralls, overshoes and other supplies to a local hospital in the region.

“It is a small solidarity contribution to support carers in the front line of this health crisis, and to help them to continue to take care of us while taking care of them,” says Cetim.

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CRP Technology makes its 3D printing technology available to biomedical companies and hospitals

March 20, 2020

3D printing specialist CRP Technology (Modena, Italy) wants to actively contribute to the coronavirus emergency, and is making its know-how and expertise available to the biomedical sector, doctors and hospitals.

“The CRP Technology’s Rapid Prototyping Department is equipped to also manufacture small, complex end-use 3D printed components for small batch production, in a very short time,” says Franco Cevolini, materials engineer, CTP and VP CRP Technology, who adds: “We are available to rebuild small parts for machines and medical equipment that can save people's lives in this period of crisis.”

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Arkema sets up emergency manufacture of alcohol-based solution for hospitals

March 20, 2020

Source | Arkema

In response to the COVID-19 epidemic and the health situation, global chemicals and resins supplier Arkema (Colombes, France) reported on March 20 that it is repurposing one of its production lines in order to manufacture 20 tons of alcohol-based solution per week to be distributed free of charge to hospitals in France.

The company will be using a pilot line at its Rhône Alpes Research Center (CRRA), near Lyon, France, which will be dedicated to the manufacture of an alcohol-based solution for hospital use.

The solution will be supplied to the French health authorities, for mass restocking of public hospitals.

Accordingly, Arkema reports that it has been granted all necessary administrative authorizations. 

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Aligned Vision takes actions to ensure well-being of team and reach out to customers

March 18, 2020

Aligned Vision (Chelmsford, Mass., U.S.) says it is taking actions to help ensure the well-being of its team, customers, partners and neighboring community. 

These measures include:

• Minimizing any potential for the company work environment to become a conduit of the virus. “We in the composites industry are fortunate
  that much of our work already demands practices that also help prevent the spread of disease: clean rooms and protective gowns, gloves and caps, for example. We remain vigilant not only in adhering to these practices but also in following guidance provided by local and federal health agencies,” the company says.
• Maximizing the team’s availability to customers while minimizing risks to health and safety, which includes social distancing practices, supplemental cleaning and other recommended practices. Anyone who can work from home is doing so.
• Reaching out to customers directly, to hear how customers are faring and addressing any questions or needs.

For more information, customers can reach out to learnmore@aligned-vision.com.

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Coastal Enterprises maintaining “business as usual”

March 18, 2020

In response to the recent outbreak of the coronavirus COVID-19, tooling board supplier Coastal Enterprises (Orange, Calif., U.S.) has put measures into place to ensure employees are following guidelines from both the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus. 

As of March 18, Coastal Enterprises plans to continue operating on a “Business as Usual” basis. The company says it is not experiencing any material shortages, production delays or shipping slow downs, nor does it
expect to. Typical shipping times will remain from receipt of P.O. to shipment, even large orders, at 3-4 days.

For questions or concerns, email hdu@precisionboard.com or call 800-845-0745.

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SAERTEX takes measures to ensure health of company, customers

March 18, 2020

SAERTEX (Saerbeck, Germany) said on March 18 that the health of everybody inside and outside SAERTEX has highest priority for the company.

“We have taken dedicated measures to protect people on the one hand and ensure the delivery situation for our customers on the other hand,” the company says. “As SAERTEX maintains a global and robust supply chain with mostly regional sourcing of raw materials for our 15 production facilities on five continents, we are currently able to supply our customers worldwide with the usual quantity and quality of our reinforcement materials.”

The company has put a task force is in place that has implemented additional measures to protect people and processes, to anticipate upcoming challenges and to be able to quickly adapt to the dynamic situation.

After the school closings in some countries, the company has organized solutions and and recognizes a very strong commitment in its teams. The company says productivity and customer service are still almost unaffected.

The reduced traffic of goods between countries due to closed boarders might have mid-term effects on the company’s lead times, and SAERTEX plans to  take additional measures to stock crucial materials where possible.

The traveling activities of SAERTEX’s sales team are completely stopped from now on. To still keep customer service on a high level, our SAERTEX team will get in contact with customers via communication tools like video  conferencing.

“We are in constant contact with our plants and suppliers to ensure our supply chain. Should there occur any supply bottlenecks, we will try to keep them to a minimum by taking appropriate measures and will inform you at short notice,” the company says.