CO-VID 19 pandemic

Our company and its manufacturing facilities are located in Mutrah. During the initial phases of the CO-VID 19 pandemic Mutrah was the epicenter for the virus. A complete lockdown was introduced by the government within the Wilayat of Mutrah. Being in the food industry it was of paramount importance that we continue to manufacture round the clock. In spite of the challenges imposed by the lockdown, in the month of March the company recorded its highest ever sale grossing in excess of OMR 8 Mn. Some of the key steps to ensure business continuity included:

    •  Drafting of a CO-VID 19 committee to ensure smooth operations
    • Re-rostering the staff in operations. Under the new scheme, production staff worked on 12-hour shifts for 2 weeks continuously. During this time the company rented out entire hotels so as to avoid our staff mixing with the general population. Hygienic catering was also offered to all staff. This new roster ensured that there were always 2 backup rosters that could be used in case of infections within the current rosters. 
    • Strict PPE compliance was put in place, all employees need to wear masks. Thermal face recognition software was used to track attendance and temperature of all staff 
    • Visitor meetings were shifter online
    • There were Caps on the number of support staff who could work from the office, this was done to ensure social distancing
    • Strict quarantine of the entire floor/ contact persons was put in place in case of a positive case
    • Employees over the age of 50 were asked to work from home and only come to office in case of urgencies
    • New ERP was put in place in January 2020. The cloud capabilities of the system ensured that business operations continued without a hitch
    • Customer deliveries were scheduled so as to avoid congestion in the loading area •Grains and other key raw materials were ordered in excess so as to provide a safety net against possible shortfalls due to restrictions from the CO-VID 19 pandemic
    • The HSE team sends out periodic information on general hygiene and the importance of social distancing
    • All staff gatherings were banned in 2020 to adhere to social distancing guidelines
    • The company supported the employees by providing free testing to anyone who showed symptoms of CO-VID 19