Since the spread of the Corona Virus Infectious Disease (COVID-19) began to increasingly cover more areas and had impacted both business operations and threatened the personnel’s health safeties alike, AAPICO had become aware of the importance of employees’ safeties and hygiene in all sectors. Therefore, the Company had arranged for situation prediction and evaluation, meetings to issue measures in accordance with the Corona Virus Disease Management Center, and strict consideration of laws and regulations and immediate actions accordingly. The Company had set in place measures to prevent the spread of the virus as follows:
Screening and Cleaning
The Company had arranged for screening points around the Company’s entrances and visitors are also required to complete the Corona Infection Risk questionnaires before being allowed into the premises. This is for safety evaluation of both the visitors and the personnel.
In addition, the Company also arranged for cleaning equipment – or hand cleaning gel – and temperature measurement equipment to be stationed around the premises in order to facilitate the employees’ hygiene. As for the cleanliness of the premises, the Company had set strict cleaning procedures by having every location that involve lots of physical contact with the facilities to be cleaned with disinfectant; including office area, meeting rooms, and outside areas which see lots of visitors.
Screening employees’ body temperature
Screening visitors’ body temperature and the Corona Infection Risk questionnaires
Hands Cleaning Gel Arrangement
Cleanliness in every location involved lots of physical contact
Social Distancing
The Company had arranged for distancing between individuals in all areas, from the entry line at the screening points before entering the premises to the seating distance between employees in the office. Employees are required to wear masks at all times within the premises. Schedules were made for lunch groups to reduce crowding within the canteen, and waiting lines and canteen seats were specifically designated to maintain distancing according to the regulations and prevent infection.
Keep distancing between individuals in all areas
Training
The Company’s subsidiary “AAPICO Training Center” was the representative for providing knowledge on the prevention of Corona virus infection by arranging training sessions for employees on hygiene management, clean hand-washing, right way to put on a mask, and how to conduct oneself within the premises. In addition, public relations were made on various measures and occupational health, in the form of both media and the Company’s online website. Furthermore, the Company had arranged for Hot Line for employees to communicate with the Company in the case that the employee suspects that they are at risk of contacting the disease or in the case that they want some suggestions on how to prevent infection.
Providing knowledge on the prevention of Corona virus infection
Revision of Operations During Emergency
The Company revised the Business Continuity Plan and made adjustments to the risk evaluations of various factors that affect business and stakeholders, while also considered management plan for the case of virus outbreak so that the Company will be able to swiftly handle the situation and proceed with the business operations as normal. In any case, AAPICO has prepared operation
plans for this situation, such as temperature measurement chart, Corona Virus infection prevention policy, communication and collaboration chart in the case that an infected individual was found in the factory area, and permission and declaration form for leaving the lodging area.
AAPICO Hitech Sharing to Fight Back Against COVID-19
For the duration of Corona Virus outbreak in Thailand, the economic stasis caused the Company’s performance to drop. AAPICO therefore must make some adjustment to the business plan in order to continue operating as normal, including stop the operations in some areas and reducing working days and paid the employees for 75% of the normal rates. However, the Company was not indifferent to the emerging problems. “The Pantry of Sharing” project was established to aid the affected personnel in order to set up a medium for sharing of food and essentials, demonstrating the compassion between personnel to personnel and management to personnel in these difficult times by arranging for the purchase of rice, rations, and essentials to be stored in the cabinet which was placed in the employees’ pantry area – starting from 13th May 2020 and last into August.
Success
Until 30th October 2020, AAPICO Group registered zero case of COVID infection, thanks to the good discipline and cooperation of employees and the stringent efforts of the company.
More information about AAPICO Hitech
AAPICO Hitech PLC was established in 1996 and was listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 2002. The Company’s main businesses initially were to design, produce, and install car assembly jigs and stamping dies, and to manufacture OEM automotive parts, including floor parts, cross members, pillars, brackets, clips, and fuel tanks for leading automobile assemblers in Thailand. The Company has later progressed to produce plastic parts, forging and machining parts, and chassis frame components.
