Issue link: http://psai.uberflip.com/i/1263419
ASSOCIATIONINSIGHT Portable Sanitation Association International News BIWEEKLY EDITION JUNE 24, 2020 Page 12 Understanding the Supply Chain for Sinks and Sanitizers…continued from page 11 Some of these delays, Sam explains, were due to the fact that "certain rubber parts were manufactured in China and overseas supply chains have been inconsistent and erratic." PolyJohn has therefore been investigating other alternate supply options for each of these smaller accessory components. To meet the huge increase in demand, "PolyJohn hired temporary labor, have gone on a 24/7 work schedule, and lengthened some shifts to 12-hour days including Saturdays." Sam is immensely proud of all the "dedicated people in our company." As is the case in all our world today, PolyJohn has experienced COVID-19 firsthand. "We had our first COVID-19 case in the plant last week. In accordance with good practices, we shut down the department and did a complete and thorough deep cleaning, twice. We started back up and then three more cases were reported in other departments. This week we have shut everything down from Tuesday until Friday and are employing the same deep cleaning procedures in the entire facility." Employees who test positive for COVID-19 is another factor that affects the supply chain of all products as this pandemic continues. Sam kindly shared several excellent safety protocols that PolyJohn has implemented since the start of COVID-19 that everyone should strongly consider. "Of course everyone wears masks and we social distance. In addition, we have temperature testing twice-a-day—in the morning and at midday. Finally, we have 'hand wash breaks' every two hours." The most important safety tip that Sam suggested is "to get everyone tested. Testing is more readily available and for the employee's piece of mind, as well as our own, this is a valuable weapon in fighting COVID-19." Mat Schenk, with TSF, has another interesting perspective on the sink station supply chain. In addition to being a manufacturer, he also operates a portable restroom company. He sees both sides of the supply and demand equation. "TSF went through one year of stock in four days," reports Mat. The demand is incredible and, as with PolyJohn, a small foot pump on their sinks became a "major hurdle" when it became unavailable. In addition, "the particular soap dispenser pump that we use is manufactured overseas." So again, we can see how another auxiliary part hampers the delivery of an entire product line to the portable sanitation industry. Mat sees several innovations that will aid operators in providing good service to customers, such as smaller capacity sinks with wheels for easier servicing. Mat Shenk Continued on page 24