What were the first actions taken when the pandemic started?
Steinel Electronics is a German-Swiss company. We have about 320 employees in the Republic of Moldova. In addition to Moldova, we operate in several European countries: Germany, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and Romania. We are on the Republic of Moldova’s market since 2007, so there are almost 13 years of activity. We manufacture motion sensors, sensor light fixtures, hot air generators and silicone soldering guns.
In mid-March, when the first cases of virus were detected among Moldovan citizens, we quickly approved an anti-COVID action plan. We have taken several measures, in particular, we installed disinfectant devices at all entrances to the company's headquarters and in locations with a major staff flow, including manufacturing departments and sanitary units.
We have delegated a person to monitor the amounts of disinfectant in our warehouse and to submit reports on a weekly basis, so that we always have disinfectant in the warehouse.
In addition, we have trained the cleaners to disinfect all surfaces, railings, door handles and common areas at least twice a day.
We have cancelled all meetings with more than 20 employees, as required by law. Now all the meetings take place for a maximum of 15 minutes and in a very small group.
We have cancelled the meetings of the manufacturing departments. Instead, we have bought audible devices, through which we share all the information.
We have introduced restrictions on movement inside the factory, thus avoiding unjustified walks.
We prohibit the entry to the workplace of people who have symptoms of the disease or those who have had contact with people from abroad or who have symptoms. In this regard, we have ongoing discussions with employees and inform them about the dangers of this disease and its transmission. If such cases occur, the employees self-isolate or get a COVID test.
What changes have the internal processes within the company undergone, especially the manufacturing process?
We tried to make employees keep the distance as much as possible. Our manufacturing lines have tables that are over one meter thirty - one meter fifty long. Thus, we respect the distance of at least one meter. However, we redistributed the staff so that they could work at a maximum distance from each other in the manufacturing department.
In addition, we reduced the number of seats in the canteen, in order to keep social distance, so that maximum two people sit at the table. The seats are placed diagonally, thus ensuring the protection distance.
In addition, employees are required to wear a protective mask when moving within the factory.
Some people have worked from home for a certain period, while others still do so. For some employees, the factory work schedule has been reduced, and the rest of the work schedule is run from home.
Did the less common situation during the pandemic have any benefits for the company?
One of the positive aspects is that staff turnover has been greatly reduced. In addition, the number of sick leaves has been considerably reduced, even by 50%-60%. People have become much more responsible. We started to be more careful and to observe minimum hygiene measures at work; I even mean the use of hand sanitizers.
Are there any further forecasts? How do you think the business will evolve?
Out business was not greatly affected. In the last few months, we have felt a 10-20% reduction in order amounts, but we are starting to get back to normal little by little. Given the evolution of the main indicators, I think we will not be affected to a greater extent.
Are there any measures that you will continue to apply even after the pandemic ends?
Of course, first of all the audible installations through which we announce the employees. We will not return to meetings. When we have something to announce - we announce it quickly and to all at once. In addition, we have checked the temperature of each employee since the beginning of the pandemic. For this, we have recently purchased a thermal scanner, which we will continue to use after the pandemic to monitor the health of all employees. This way we will avoid the risk of infection by employees who come to work even with a simple virus.
The series of interviews "Foreign investors vs. COVID-19" are part of the gratitude campaign addressed to all foreign investors in the Republic of Moldova who during the pandemic demonstrated a high sense of social responsibility, an example model of employee care and proactivity in reconceptualizing the business . Campaign launched by The Moldovan Investment Agency with the support of the ‘Economic Policy Advice to the Moldovan Government’ project, implemented by GIZ Moldova with the financial support of the German and Swiss Governments.