How we’ve adapted to the ‘new normal’

Life has been different for most, if not all, companies since March this year, and that includes us too.

Whether we’re in or out of lockdown, it’s safe to say that what used to be normal is no longer the case. And the ‘new normal’ is something many businesses have now had some time to adjust to, albeit a few refinements here and there.

Like everybody else, we’ve had to implement several changes to make sure our operations are Covid-compliant and the health and safety of our workforce is maintained.

Fortunately, we’ve taken these changes in our stride and have continued to provide our customers with the same, Alutrade ‘business as usual’ service, even if some of our internal systems and processes may have been slightly altered. We’ve achieved this by:

1. Sticking to our ‘business as usual’ philosophy

 ·      All of our collections and aluminium processing has continued as normal and so has demand from the smelters throughout the UK and Europe for our materials

·      As a result, we’ve not yet had to furlough any staff and have been able to continue with our 48-hour collection service

2. Putting the wellbeing and health and safety of our workers at the top of our priority list

·      We’ve asked staff, who've been able to do so, to work from home 

·      A new rotation system has been implemented for breaks and lunch-times to help minimise contact for our on-site workers

·      We’ve increased how often high traffic areas, such as the kitchen and toilets, are cleaned 

·      The Personal Protective Equipment, which the operators and pickers on our production lines have always used, now incorporates clear face visors for increased protection

·      All of our walkways and operational lines have been marked out with two metre spacing indicators. This includes staggering the use of our clocking-in system, which was an area staff used to naturally congregate around pre-pandemic

3. Being highly responsive to our customers’ requirements

·      We’ve always provided a flexible service, but we’ve stepped this up a notch in recent months for certain construction and medical sector customers, who’ve needed us to be even more responsive to prevent production delays

·      Our 30+ years’ experience has also enabled us to pre-empt any new pandemic-related bottlenecks and issues and proactively tackle them, minimising any unwanted additional hassle for our customers

4. Pulling together to adapt and respond to the new ‘normal’

·      All of our staff have pulled together to look out for one another and make sure we continue to operate safely and efficiently during these new times

·     We’ve worked hard to make our entire site Covid-safe for our whole workforce and to continue to provide customers with the services they need, even if they need to be adjusted a little here and there

Most of the changes we’ve made will continue for the foreseeable

We’re set up to be as flexible as possible and will continue to do all we can to make sure everybody, our staff, and interactions with customers are as safe as possible.

Covid-19 has tested our mettle, but it’s also enabled us to really draw upon some of our core strengths, such as our flexibility and adaptability, to make sure we maintain high levels of safety and our industry-leading aluminium recycling services.

To find out more about our industry-leading ways of working, contact us today on [email protected] or 0121 552 0330.