Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1265351
JULY 2020 I SMT007 MAGAZINE 61 of smells that you can buy, and they dip a Q-Tip into the vessel. If the person can't smell it, they're not allowed to enter. It's pretty clever. We have not instituted a similar process, given the num- ber of individuals we have enter- ing our facilities each day, but for a smaller facility, that would be a great little check. Matties: At the end of the day, when they've gone through their shifts and breaks, what's their departure routine? Berntson: They report back to the locker room. We ask them to wash their hands before they leave so that they don't carry anything back with them, but we don't have a monitoring system for that. They put their mask back on before returning through that entry/exit area. Matties: They go home and then start over again the next day. And, as you mentioned, you're also interested in what's going on in your employees' home lives, and they have signed personal pledges. Tell me a little bit about the pledge they sign. Berntson: Our employees have signed a com- mitment to social distance as much as possi- ble, which means minimizing their engage- ment in society. We started this when we were under the shelter-in-place orders by the state government when only necessary and essen- tial travel was allowed. That became a piece of the puzzle as well, in our commitment to fol- low those guidelines. And if they need to go out, employees commit to using proper protec- tive gear per the direction of their local state government. If they went to the grocery store or the gas station in New York State, for exam- ple, they would wear protective gear. There's also a commitment to hand wash- ing and proper hygiene. We manufactured our own sanitizers so we could equip all of our employees—including all of our factory peo- ple and their families, as well as those working from home—with sanitizer. And we procured enough masks to issue masks to all the indi- viduals that work at Indium Corporation, plus their families. Matties: On this pledge, is there any extension to where their family members sign a pledge as well? Berntson: That's an interesting idea, but we didn't go that far. We had the employees sign it, committing to continue the spirit of what we're trying to do at our company when they're at home. Matties: Maybe it sounds a little overreaching, but in today's world, people are just happy to go to work and want to preserve that ability. Their families certainly would want to support that, too. It sounds like a great model for others, and I'm glad you're sharing it. It's important to share what's working. How is it affecting your sales effort and your customer contacts? What demands or changes are you implementing, or are customers requesting that you implement? Manufacturers Association of Central New York's innovative safety pledge program.