On March 19, CHEP issued a precautionary measures statement in light of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak
CHEP is closely monitoring the evolving COVID-19/coronavirus health situation, and we would like to keep you informed about the measures we are taking as a business.
Our focus is to ensure our people are safe and our products and facilities are well protected and appropriately managed to best support the needs of our customers and local communities:
- A CHEP cross-functional team has been created, including Health & Safety, Government Affairs, Legal, Logistics, Operations, Quality and Risk management, to actively work with external food safety and public health experts.
- We currently have a 14-day quarantine period for anyone that has traveled to or been in contact with anyone who has traveled to a Level 3 Travel Health Notice country. Learn more at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/after-travel-precautions.html.
- All CHEP employees are being provided with regular guidance on good hygiene practices and limiting travel.
CHEP people safety
We are pleased to report that currently none of our CHEP North American employees or their families have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
The CHEP teams in countries that are under local authority restrictions are following all local and government advice in maintaining high standards of hygiene and cleanliness in their office and operational facilities. This includes:
- Daily health check of staff
- Regular cleaning with approved anti-viral products
- Restricted travel as recommended by the World Health Organization
- Working from home where possible
If we learn of any potential (suspected or confirmed) coronavirus exposures, we have developed and will implement scientifically valid protocols in consultation with outside experts.
CHEP product supply
The current risk to product supply from CHEP to our customers in North America remains remote.
CHEP has a unique capacity and a wide network in North America to serve our customers. In these changing times, we are carrying out the following special measures:
- We have increased the frequency of our demand planning to ensure that we remain closely aligned to your changing needs.
- In case we are obliged to close a plant (for contagion reasons), we would assure continued service through managing deliveries from alternative locations.
- With new border controls between the US and Canada, currently, policy dictates the free movement of all goods, and we can continue to transport goods as normal. As a reminder, Canadian Stringer pallets are not to be used for shipments to the US market.
- We have proactively worked with our suppliers to develop business continuity plans.
- We have provided guidance to our drivers and Third-Party Logistics Providers to comply with international guidance on preventative measures and to adhere to all recommendations from local sites.
The complexity of the additional border closure between the US and Canada may compromise our ability to always deliver/collect within specific service windows. By working together with patience and support, we can all do our best to load and unload efficiently and communicate clearly and proactively, thereby helping the whole supply chain to continue moving goods.
Our teams are working around the clock to minimize disruption in the sourcing and management of our products. We are monitoring the evolving situation across North America daily, and we will notify you if the risk level to product supply changes or if any of our contingency plans, to ensure stock availability, need to be implemented.
Source: CHEP