After a few months since the Coronavirus outbreak, here is an overview on how the company has faced the pandemic in its offices around the globe and is adapting to a new normality.
The perspective of the world people had at the beginning of 2020 has drastically changed and it can be affirmed that the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic represents a watershed in history. This tsunami has heavily affected the metals sector as well, and the industry players cannot go back to “business as usual”: Tenova is approaching the crises as an opportunity to review and improve its systems and strategies to be the right partner of metals producers in this challenging time.
The pandemic hit Tenova’s operations since its very beginning, when it spread in China, as the company has offices in Beijing and Tianjin – about 700 miles away from Wuhan – as well as customers all around the country.
“In January, we established and furtherly reviewed specific procedures in close contact with the regional and national authorities, implementing all precautionary measures to safeguard our employees’ health and safety. The experience gained with the Chinese crisis helped us to appreciate the gravity of the events and move in advance when the unforeseen health emergency arouse in Lombardy, Italy, where Tenova’s headquarters are located. I can say that we reacted promptly from day one, adopting drastic preventive measures, much stricter than the governmental ones”.
Tenova QHSE Manager
Following the spreading of the outbreak, a comprehensive plan was developed to manage the novel coronavirus pandemic around the world with two clear objectives: to protect the health and safety of people and to guarantee business continuity to customers.
Beside China and Italy, Tenova has offices in other 17 countries, which have been affected by the health crisis at various extent. In each of them, it was necessary to implement measures that were commensurate to the evolving conditions and the specific local guidelines and policies. In general, over the course of March, most offices were closed off, with the large majority of employees able to work remotely, guaranteeing business continuity to the customers.
“The conditions created by the health emergency forced us to adopt remote working widely and, after a few months, I can say successfully: our expert technicians and process specialists were able to support our customers despite the imposed distancing, and the workflow was managed effectively by our teams”.
Tenova CEO
Over the month of May, measures have been eased in most countries in line with the government guidelines; nevertheless, the company’s approach is extremely cautious, as the situation in some geographic areas, such as Northern Italy, is still critical.
“Of course we cannot ignore the severe impact that this crisis will have on the market, however I am confident that metals producers who opt for innovative and digital solutions will be able to cope with the situation, and Tenova has the right technologies to surf the wave of change”.
Tenova CEO
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