Project Owner: De La Rue
As an ISO 22301 certified organisation, De La Rue already had established a pandemic response plan. When COVID19 emerged in early 2020 we created the next generation of the Business Continuity Planning that was adapted to this global pandemic, allowing a more agile response across the business.
The Executive Leadership Team established parameters for success which translated into Key Risk Indicators that were deployed within two days of the WHO releasing evidence of human to human transmission. Each site developed specific requirements and responsibilities for employees, including communication trigger points. These changes made it easy to pass information throughout each site and across locations. For non-manufacturing staff a work from home policy was implemented alongside Group wide travel restrictions. Within 1 day all office based De La Rue employees who were able to work from home, were set up and working from home.
A critical success factor was our ability to translate leadership and business requirements alongside local legislation into an effective means of mitigating risks for each site. By implementing clear expectations and effective delegation De La Rue experienced a lower than average (by country) rate of infection from COVID19 cases; was able to meet manufacturing commitments and maintain overall business productivity.
The most significant innovation was the speed and scale at which were able to develop and implement our next generation of Business Continuity Planning. Establishing effective changes meant that we had capacity to innovate and deliver on our obligations, rather than react to issues as they arose.
Operational in the UK, USA, Malta, Kenya and Sri Lanka as well as offices in USA and UAE.
The speed and scale with which Business Continuity Planning was upgraded to next generation BCP was unique. Within 1 day all employees who could work from home were working from home. New digital processes and security protocols enabled activity to be securely carried out from home that had previously required staff to be in the office. Within 3-7 days factory ways-of-working had been redesigned with new site layouts and processes implemented.
In Malta our employees designed a new traffic system and erected partitions to reduce the risk of infection, without affecting site security or regulatory requirements.
At our Westhougton site, an engineer developed an effective temperature testing solution using a tablet and off-the shelf equipment. This enabled faster temperature testing, recording and sharing of data as it was collected at entrances to the site, reducing waiting times and providing a cost-effective alternative to other commercial solutions.
Efficiency
Redesigning shift patterns increased flexibility in staff numbers, allowing people to better fit their work obligations around personal commitments. This enabled an improved work/life balance for those affected by the change.
Outside of the manufacturing sites we implemented Working From Home policies which has enabled our employees to maintain productivity and reduce the risk of infection in shared office environments or at our manufacturing sites.
Safety
There has been a sustained campaign of education in how to prevent the spread of COVID19. To embed the benefits of these changes we raised awareness through classes, posters and enforced social distancing using temporary walls, one-way systems, and redesigned break areas to limit contact between staff in different departments.
Modifying shift start/end times granted more time for cleaning between shifts and allowed for easier social distancing which reduced the risk of infection at shift changeover times.
We developed a contact tracing process for the Group in the event of a case occurring on site to identify at risk employees and refer them for testing. We supported this process with interviews, scrutiny of CCTV and access control reviews.
Travel has been restricted, with only essential visits being permitted. This has enabled us to continue to support our customers throughout the pandemic, whilst avoiding unnecessary risks.
Environmental Protection
Outside of the manufacturing sites we implemented Working From Home policies and since March 2020 our Head Office site has reduced its carbon footprint by over 620 tonnes simply from the elimination of the daily commute.
[pdf-embedder url=”https://iacaprod.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/_pda/2022/09/DLR-Newsletter.pdf” title=”DLR Newsletter”]
