Kimball released the following statement on Tuesday about their response to COVID-19:
Today Kimball International announced important shifts in business operations to prioritize an increase in demand for critically needed healthcare products.
Starting on Wednesday, April 1, we will realign our U.S. footprint to put the needs of our healthcare clients at the forefront:
- We will temporarily pause operations in six of our U.S. manufacturing facilities through April 13, including locations in Fordsville, KY, Danville, KY, Baltimore, MD, Red Lion, PA, and 16th Street and Cherry Street in Jasper, IN.
- We will continue operating three of our U.S. manufacturing facilities including locations in Santa Claus, IN, and 11th Avenue and 15th Street in Jasper, IN in addition to our logistics operations.
- A fourth manufacturing facility will reopen in Salem, IN on April 6.
In addition to our current Kimball Health and National offering, our Kimball Health Brand has launched a family of Health Crisis Solutions: patient seating, overbed tables, and privacy screens to be used in triage, new and existing products to support temporary nurse communication centers and rapid response patient rooms for makeshift facilities. Our National Brand will launch a grouping of Quickship Products specifically targeting facilities servicing the COVID-19 crisis. Our teams have also found new ways to service the immediate need for personal protective equipment by manufacturing medical masks and shields for local health centers.
“Despite the many unknowns in our world right now, we do know two things are for sure: 1. Our employees will always come first, and 2. We feel a responsibility to do what we can to help others through this time,” said Kristie Juster, CEO of Kimball International.
Last week, KII announced a new program to provide all active, full-time manufacturing employees with ten days of additional “PTO for Crisis” to stay at home with their families with full pay and benefits during this crisis. This was well received and many KII employees are taking advantage of this program, while other employees expressed a desire to continue working.
For those that elect to work, we’re being vigilant with enhanced safety measures at each manufacturing facility, including daily temperature checks for all employees, additional measures to promote social distancing and exceeding standards for sanitation processes and procedures. Our employees’ safety remains our top priority.
“We believe this is the best course of action to meet both of our goals – putting our people first and doing our part during this crisis,” said Juster. “This approach decreases the number of employees that are in our plants on a daily basis, and allows people who elect to continue working to help meet urgent needs for healthcare products in the marketplace.”
