As we all continue to navigate and respond to the current COVID-19 situation and figure out what it means for us, our families, communities and clients, Skolnik remains open, manufacturing and supplying industries at the forefront of the response.
Our top priority remains the health and safety of our employees, suppliers, and customers. And we recognize the need for our products and work.
We are based in Illinois, where a Shelter-In-Place order has been instituted and we hope that all of our friends and neighbors are taking this order very seriously. Skolnik has been designated an “essential business” due to the nature of our operations and industry and thus is continuing to manufacture our products.
While we continue to manufacture and supply our customers, we are following CDC guidelines for mitigating the risk of the virus, including proper hygiene practices and social distancing measures for all on-site employees. We also have implemented work-from-home policies for many of our employees and banned non-essential travel and face-to-face meetings.
Furthermore, effective last week, we have divided our company into two groups. Both are essentially mirrors of each other, with skill sets split evenly across all aspects of our operation. In addition to ensuring continuity and steady product supply, this approach reduces the number of people in our buildings and allows for proper social distancing protocols. To keep manufacturing at the highest level, we have increased our workdays from 5 to 6 per week.
Regarding raw material needs, we are working diligently to ensure that our critical suppliers continue to support us. To date, none have experienced any impacts due to the COVID-19 situation. We have significant inventories of our key materials, as do our primary and alternate suppliers. Our purchasing department monitors this daily.
Things are changing quickly, but we are committed to doing our very best to take care of our employees, suppliers, and customers. We will keep you updated as things evolve. Thank you all for your support, and please stay safe.