23 March 2020
Samuel Grant Packaging is a distributor of packaging materials to UK industry with many customers in the food supply chain and pharmaceutical industries.
Packaging is often considered to be an unnecessary cost and our customers go to great efforts, with our help, to try to reduce packaging to the absolute minimum.
However the Coronavirus crisis reveals how important packaging is to get the food and medicines from our factories to the general public.
Samuel Grant Packaging has for many years had extensive recovery plans for various nightmare scenarios like data loss, fire, flood, strikes and logistics challenges like road closure for snow.
Many of these plans rely on us re-locating the core of our business to one of our different locations but this is not relevant for this challenge.
The current global pandemic is certainly an extreme test of our systems.
We are currently operating with minimal disruption to business.
By the use of our remote desktop software, “Citrix” and our virtual communication software “Teams” we are able to have a fully functioning sales, purchasing and accounts office distributed around our peoples’ houses all over the North of England.
Of course the picking and delivery operations have to continue at our sites but we are following the best government guidance – drivers remain in their cabs, hands are washed regularly and the use of social distancing means that lunchtime conversations are at long range from separate tables in our canteens.
I am afraid lunchtime games of cards are cancelled until further notice!
Our machine engineers are also still travelling to customers to ensure that our machinery continues to keep pallets safe for transport.
All of the Samuel Grant team are working extra hard but there is a unique problem with this virus.
People who would normally work through a cold or a minor illness to do their best for the company are instead having to accept that they are a risk to the wellness of the company and have to isolate themselves.
This is intensely frustrating for those individuals who want to work but it is the new normal.
Overall the working atmosphere at Samuel Grant Packaging is still very positive, we have a really good team and we know how important it is to keep all of our businesses functioning in this difficult time.
We are still at the beginning of this challenge and I know it will get harder over the next couple of months but Samuel Grant packaging is a strong company with large stocks, a strong supply and distribution chain and is very well positioned to keep our customers going ready for the return to business as usual at the end of the year.
Best Wishes and keep washing your hands.
Andrew Grant
