PETpla.net Insider 06 / 2020

TOP TALK PETplanet Insider Vol. 21 No. 06/20 www.petpla.net 11 any real limits imposed by the tech- nology. Of course, we mustn’t forget that some limits do remain: for some staff it will always be essential to be able to go into the company, or visit a customer, albeit with all the neces- sary precautions. What I think, in all conscience, is that when the emer- gency is over, we’ll all have to learn to live and work differently. We’ll need to place greater emphasis on rela- tionships, skills and initiative, on our ability to build well-being for our com- panies, customers and communities while making use of new tools. PETplanet: You mentioned that your supply chain has not undergone any interruption. Does that mean that all deliveries are timely and complete? Bernardi: Out in the fi eld, major dif fi culties still persist. Not all sup- pliers were able to keep production going. Sacmi has broad shoulders, but this is not so for everyone. Some of our partners are experiencing the inevitable economic dif fi culties that stem from quarantines and production stoppages. Moreover, we can’t deny that implementing all the necessary safety measures lowers, in the short term, the ef fi ciency of the companies. This is re fl ected in a slowdown of the entire supply chain which, at times, demands prompt corrective action. Fortunately, Sacmi has selected its suppliers carefully over the years; hence our con fi dence that the moder- ate delays being experienced in some cases will soon be corrected and reg- ular supply and assistance services re-established. PETplanet: How can you support your customers especially in countries with closed borders and severe travel restrictions? Is it ‘business as usual’ for your support services? Bernardi: If we take pre-Covid service and assistance levels as a benchmark, the answer is no. It would be dishonest to argue other- wise. However, we’re doing every- thing possible to adapt our support and assistance capacity to fast- changing scenarios. As early as the beginning of March, we sent many of our Italian technicians to stra- tegic locations in various parts of the world, thus strengthening our presence in areas already manned by local technicians. In addition to the provision of routine Customer Services, Sacmi is also using virtual reality for both Factory Accept- ance Tests (FAT) and Start-up and Acceptance Tests (SAT) on custom- ers’ premises. Day by day, we’re steadily improv- ing and implementing technical/ technological solutions that expand our remote operations capacity. With the support of locally placed techni- cians and the help of the custom- ers themselves, we’re able to keep operations ticking along satisfactorily. It is, I wish to reiterate, a challenge that we are fully equipped to cope with: but victory will only be achieved through teamwork. Hence, I repeat, the slogan that has accompanied us so far: Let’s move forward. Together. PETplanet: In addition to main- taining operations, EU directives, such as tethered caps, have to be developed and implemented. Is © Universal Closures Ltd. info@uclltd.com www.universalclosures.com