Company-wide statement on Coronavirus COVID-19

Company-wide statement on Coronavirus COVID-19

Statement on 14 April 2020

Dr. Hans Joachim Müller from his home office
Dr. Hans Joachim Müller from his home office

#AzelisKeepsGoing

It is unprecedented that so many countries have gone into a lockdown and that so many activities stand still, while governments take extraordinary measures. We all watch in suspense how doctors and nurses fight hard to save lives and others in vital functions try to keep our economies functioning. We are going through unfamiliar times and we are all in this together. We depend on each other and we need each other’s support, now more than ever.

This is why I would like to take the opportunity to provide you with an update on how Azelis is handling the situation that arises from COVID-19 pandemic.

First and foremost, the health and safety of our employees are our highest priority. In light of that, the majority of our employees have been working from home for weeks now. In the recent years, Azelis has made some significant investments in our technology, digital/IT platforms and services. As a result, the sudden move from office to home working was seamless in Azelis providing high-quality service, which we always strive to provide to our customers and suppliers. Working from home, when partners and children are also at home, is new to all of us, but it is impressive to see how committed everybody at Azelis is. I am proud that we have so many resourceful, adaptable and innovative employees, and that we are such a coherent team.

Having taken care of this first priority – to protect and empower our people – I am happy to inform you that Azelis has not experienced any major disturbances to its business. Orders are received and handled, material is shipped, new and alternative sources are being investigated to meet the increased demand for some of the materials. Reliable and trustworthy partnerships have always been at the core of everything we do, so we are delighted to see that all of our warehousing and logistics partners are as flexible and dedicated as we are in serving customers.

Our technical managers and lab teams continue to innovate and work on formulations that can address some of the current hot topics in the market, while many of our teams are working with local communities to combat the shortage of protective devices and other supplies. We have organized numerous webinars for our customers to present new innovative formulations and industry trends. All of our corporate initiatives that intend to enhance Azelis’ service capabilities continue as planned, and some of them are even accelerated.

Our cross-functional COVID-19 coordination team monitors the situation and implements measures across Azelis as the situation evolves.

In short, we are well prepared to address the numerous facets of this unparalleled crisis, and we are driven by our objectives to be the best-in-class innovation service provider and deliver on our brand promise - innovation through formulation - to our customers and principals alike.

Let me finish by wishing you all health, strength and positive spirit in those challenging times.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Hans-Joachim Müller
Chief Executive Officer

Statement on 19 March 2020

Azelis is actively and continuously monitoring the COVID-19 Coronavirus outbreak in line with local and national authorities and WHO guidelines. Our recommendations coincide with the governmental guidelines issued by the relevant country in which we operate. The safety and health of our employees and partners is our first priority as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect us all.

With regard to the product supply, we are currently not experiencing any major disturbances. To ensure business continuity, we have analyzed our full portfolio of products coming from affected areas and made this assessment available throughout the group. All local teams are monitoring possible disruption of supply in order to keep our customers informed and, where possible, we will find alternative sources as a response in case of a force majeure event.

We are continually in close contact with our principals to understand the possible impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on the availability of their portfolio. We rely on our suppliers’ continuous stream of information to monitor the potential disruption. We also hold safety stock for a majority of our products to ensure minimal adverse impact on the supply chain.

Furthermore, our technical managers and lab teams are diligently working on formulations that can address some of the current hot topics in the market (e.g. sanitizers, cleaning formulations, etc.). Please do not hesitate to reach out if we can be of assistance with any formulations that you may require.

We have established a cross-functional coordination team, monitoring the situation and implementing (preventive) measures across Azelis as the situation evolves.

Examples of such measures include, in addition to what is described above, but are not limited to:

  1. Travel restrictions for Azelis staff:
    1. All non-domestic business travels need to be approved by the respective MD (COO for US)
    2. All intercontinental business travels need to be approved by the regional CEOs
  2. Instructions to employees on what to do on return for anyone who has traveled to contaminated areas (for private or professional reasons).
  3. Implementation of governmental orders for many of our colleagues to work from home.
  4. Implementation of individual country and functional contingency business plans in order to protect our business and minimize disturbances.
  5. Close collaboration with local authorities and business partners in order to ensure the health and safety of our staff and continuity of supplies to our customers.
  6. Creation of a dedicated section on the company intranet to provide continual Coronavirus updates to our employees.
  7. Reminders to our employees about WHO’s standard recommendations for the general public to reduce exposure to and transmission of the Coronavirus.

In addition, Azelis digital environment allows us to let many people work from home. This helps us remove the potential exposure of our teams and contributes to society by reducing the spread of the virus. Our digital tools allow us to stay connected with customers and suppliers to ensure business continuity.

We hope to have adequately informed you of the measures we are taking to contain the health and commercial effects of the Coronavirus outbreak. In case of any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your usual local Azelis contact.

 

Kind regards,

Dr. Hans-Joachim Müller
Chief Executive Officer