Valued Atwell International Customer,
No doubt all of you have been affected in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping the globe. First and foremost, we hope that you, your families, and your colleagues remain healthy and safe.
At Atwell International, we are trying to strike a delicate balance. On one side is our obligation to keeping our employees healthy and safe and to doing our part to slow the spread of this disease through social distancing. On the other side is our need to sustain operational integrity on behalf of you our customer, your customers, and the global flow of commerce that supports all of us. Here is what we are doing to strike that balance:
- We remain open for business and we are manufacturing and shipping product. Our warehouse is working at full capacity and we are increasing our stock of finished goods inventory so that we are prepared to serve you in the event of a supply chain interruption. Thus far, we have not missed any shipments and we are not in jeopardy of missing any shipments in the near term.
- We have secured at least six months of inventory and/or confirmed orders for raw materials in our supply chain. Although on-hand inventory positions vary, provided all our suppliers meet confirmed obligations, we should have material to continue serving you for the next six months at least. We recognize, of course, that this may not be possible for all our suppliers; we have placed orders with backup suppliers where we foresee risk and where possible.
- We are in daily contact with our European component suppliers and so far, they are continuing to manufacture, this includes Companies in Italy, Germany, Spain and USA. The main concern is transportation of goods into the UK and we are already experiencing longer than usual transit times and increased surcharges. We will try to absorb cost where we can, but we must also recognize the global financial turmoil and pricing may fluctuate.
- We are continuing to staff the office but have the technology at our disposal to transfer administration duties to home working when required. Our goal is to make this transition seamless and transparent to you, our customer.
- We have instituted common-sense policies for our essential on-site employees that include minimum physical distances between factory workers and enhanced cleaning and sanitation procedures. Our premises remain closed to all non-employees without prior approval.
- We have instituted a non-essential travel ban. Routine sales calls will be conducted via email and telephone during this time. If technical assistance is urgently required on-site, please let us know.
- We have re-configured our own van and will make it available for essential deliveries in order to keep the vital infrastructure of the Country operational. We have also made arrangements for parcels to be collected from an external location as required.
We are proud to be a small but vital cog in the vast economic engine that provides pay checks, supports health care and puts food on the tables for our families, our customers’ families and so many others across the World. We are addressing this crisis with urgency and taking calm, reasonable action to uphold our role in that engine while supporting the greater public health.
We thank you for your business and we look forward to conquering this challenge in partnership with you, our suppliers, and the rest of the world.
Best regards
Russell Walker
Managing Director
Atwell International
