Business as Usual: Keeping Industry Turning, and Customers Safe

When it comes to keeping things moving during the pandemic the service and repair sector has had a huge role to play, and AEMT members have responded well to the challenge, with many quickly posting their pandemic response on their web sites to reassure customers of the precautions being taken, in line with changing government guidance.

Coming into contact with others is a necessary day-to-day event and is mostly unavoidable for those offering servicing and repair capabilities. MKE Engineering Group, for example, has many external contacts coming to their facilities. In keeping with the necessary precautions for human contact, MKE has been asking pertinent questions of all external suppliers, contractors and customers before they visit.

All external contacts are also being asked only to visit the company’s facilities if it essential to do so, to help minimise risk. When it comes to working on-site, MKE says it will do its best to maintain its high level of service and response and is keeping its customers up to date with any likelihood of change.

When Renew spoke to Matt Fletcher, Managing Director at Fletcher Moorland, he quickly pointed out that it is definitely business as usual. He said: “As a 24-hour electronic and electro-mechanical maintenance engineering specialist we have always operated a round the clock service, and we have continued to do so throughout the pandemic to ensure that we meet the needs of our customers. We have found that some customers – for example, those in the food and packaging food, healthcare, pharmaceutical sectors – have been busier than ever.

“Of course, we are ensuring that we continue to adhere to changing government guidance. We have had to change some shift patterns – to spread the work more evenly throughout 24-hours, which allows our employees to maintain social distancing and many of our office staff have been able to work from home. Even though we have brought in different working patterns during the pandemic, because so much of our business is reactive, if a customer tells us they have had a breakdown we still need to be on hand to fix it quickly.”

Fletcher Moorland is ensuring that all collections and deliveries are now undertaken in a contact-free way. “Our team has been offered advice and training on how to ensure safe handling and staff have been issued with all the necessary PPE. We even made our own masks using a 3D printer – and were pleased to be able to share these with local schools and businesses,” said Matt.

"We have always operated a round the clock service, and we have continued to do so throughout the pandemic."