Job training nonprofit group Goodwill of South Florida has converted a portion of its sewing operations to manufacture 20,000 masks for employees at transportation and logistics company Ryder System Inc. The initiative extends a long relationship between the two organizations, since company founder James Ryder was also one of three founders of Goodwill some 60 years ago, David Landsberg, CEO of Goodwill South Florida, said in a release.
The masks are being used to protect Ryder’s essential employees as they support the flow of goods and services needed in the fight against Covid-19. Each mask is made with camouflage on the outside, a softer fabric on the inside, and elastic ear loops.
Goodwill South Florida is taking measures to ensure the safety of the employees who are working to produce personal protective equipment (PPE) by having the facilities sanitized regularly, placing sewing machines at a distance of six feet apart, and installing vinyl partitions between work stations. Also, staff nurses take daily temperatures and provide masks and hand sanitizers to each dedicated Goodwill employee entering the facility.
“The men and women of Ryder are working day and night to make sure the essential products and services get to where they need to be for all of us and our families during this challenging time,” said Heather Gatley, VP & Deputy General Counsel for Ryder, and a member of the board of directors for Goodwill South Florida. “We are thankful for the expertise of Goodwill in being able to quickly ramp up their sewing operations to make face masks to further protect the health and safety of our truck drivers, warehouse workers, technicians in the shop, and rental counter employees.”
And in other examples of the logistics industry dedicating its assets to the coronavirus fight:
- E-commerce retailer amazon.com inc. has teamed with medical device manufacturer Boston Scientific to deliver donated face shields to healthcare facilities around the U.S. fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Healthcare volunteer organization GetUsPPE organized the effort, under which Boston Scientific mobilized employees at a dozen sites to produce and donate the PPE (personal protective equipment), while Amazon offered logistics support. Amazon provided space on its trailers to deliver the shields from Boston Scientific to local delivery stations, where Amazon associates have worked with Delivery Service Partners in Chicago, Detroit, and the Washington, D.C./Baltimore metro areas to deliver 124,000 face shields to hospitals and clinics since April 24. "The magnitude of this donation of PPE demonstrates the combined power of volunteers and American businesses to create solutions and help keep healthcare workers safe," Megan Ranney, one of the co-founders of GetUsPPE, said in a release. "Boston Scientific quickly ramped up production, and Amazon's support of the delivery of this equipment to frontline providers will have an enormous impact on healthcare workers' ability to safely care for their patients.”
- Automaker Kia Motors America is donating personal protective equipment (PPE) to hospitals and medical facilities during the Covid-19 crisis. The face shields are assembled at Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia in West Point, Georgia, and the brand plans on donating a total of 300,000 face shields nationwide. A group of company volunteers called "Telluriders" recently delivered face shields to Morristown Medical Center/Atlantic Health in Morristown, New Jersey. The deliveries were part of Kia's “Accelerate The Good” initiatives, which include ongoing face shield donations to medical facilities in New Jersey, Southern California, and Georgia.
- Transportation and logistics company Ryder System Inc. has fully transitioned its Ryder Customer Response Center (RCRC) to in-home representatives as part of its policies to slow the spread of Covid-19. The Miami, Florida-based company says more than 300 Ryder call reps have moved from its call center hub in Roswell, Georgia, into their own homes to continue to provide seamless service and support for its truck lease and maintenance customers. Ryder says this support system is vital, ensuring that its customers don’t experience any down-time during this time of national emergency.
- Pest control company Rentokil has shifted its focus to virus control, and launched a disinfection service for vehicles in order to protect customers and employees during the Covid-19 crisis. Vehicles such as trucks, fleet vehicles, trains, and mass transit present a hygiene challenge during the pandemic, due to the nature of their confined spaces and the many touchpoints that can potentially spread the virus, the company says. So the Reading, Pennsylvania-based company uses “liquid dispersal technology” to ensure its environmentally-friendly disinfectant contacts all areas in the vehicle, inactivating germs on hard, non-porous surfaces within 10 minutes for pathogens including Covid-19, norovirus, H1N1, SARS, MRSA, E. coli, and Salmonella.
- Trucking technology startup Flock Freight has launched a program called “Driver Care” to thank Flock Freight carriers and drivers for the risk they are taking to keep supply chains running in spite of the challenges and hazards of the coronavirus. Drivers and their families can submit a request to receive restaurant gift cards or credits for meal delivery platforms or rideshare apps to use at drive-throughs. As part of the program, Flock Freight is also offering catered lunches to carrier fleets it is partnered with in appreciation of their continued work and dedication through this trying time. The company’s technology enables scaled freight pooling, a process that combines multiple loads onto one truck. During the pandemic, Flock Freight has prioritized its work with companies that are providing essential goods such as food and medical supplies, and with customers that have had to make significant changes to their business models.
To see further coverage of the coronavirus crisis and how it's affecting the logistics industry, check out our Covid-19 landing page. And click here for our compilation of virus-focused websites and resource pages from around the supply chain sector.
