COVID-19 Business Plan Update 5.7.2020
Letter from Entec Senior Vice President and General Manager, Steve Tomaszewski
New Product Offerings from Celanese
Inquire Now!We are here for you in these uncertain times
Due to the dynamic nature of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic, we have established this webpage as a central repository for all communications and actions Entec Polymers is taking to help you, our customer, manage your supply chain needs during this crisis. This webpage will be updated as federal, state and local governments issue new directives and mandates to help limit the spread of the virus and as business dynamics change, especially with respect to logistics, warehousing and global supply chains.
We encourage you to bookmark this page and monitor for regular updates. Thank you for your support and understanding.
Being a Florida-based company, we already had extensive and robust hurricane business contingency plans in-place for the safety of our employees and to maintain business continuity. These plans include the ability for all employees to work remotely and connect via enhanced video-and-audio conferencing technologies, among other IT resources.
Entec Polymers is following the guidance of global health experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) on preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. As of March 22, 2020, we have fully implemented our business continuity planning with all employees working from home. This plan has worked seamlessly in the past with no business disruptions.
Although we fully expect to provide the same world-class service you’ve come to expect from Entec throughout this crisis, changing dynamics with respect to government mandates, logistics and our employees’ personal health are being closely monitored. We’ve already adapted and have secondary contingency plans in place to provide coverage should we have employees fall ill and require weeks of recovery time.
Letter from Entec Senior Vice President and General Manager, Steve Tomaszewski
My name is Kennon, Entec Customer Account Representative for the Great Lakes Region, father of 5, and now virtual school teacher. Welcome to my life.
If you would have told me a few months ago that I would be re-learning basic fractions, I would have scoffed at the notion. But as life brings new challenges, instead of becoming complacent, you must adapt and overcome, or in other words, learn to “chew gum and walk”. So, what does that look like on a daily basis you ask? First and foremost, I am very grateful to have a childcare option for my 2 youngest children. That has given me and my wife the opportunity to become a music, art, and PE teacher (kids love red light green light) plus teaching kindergarten, 3rd, and 5th grade curriculums.
My wife (who has been a part of the Ravago Team for 3 years) and I have been blessed with not only the chance to become more hands on with the day to day grind of elementary schoolers (she’s really good at managing the kid’s schedules), but also to be a part of such a great organization that still gives us the opportunity to help others, but on a global scale. With all that is going on in the world, to know that Entec is a part of the solution is very encouraging. To know that I had the privilege of providing some of the necessary tools needed for the COVID-19 Testing Kits, is really a heartwarming feeling.
All in all, a solution is just that, a resolution to a problem needing to be solved. Whether that consists of helping my son on his 5th grade math homework (can get dicey at times) or helping contribute to the solution of the COVID-19 pandemic, all of which I am grateful to be a part of, and Entec has given me that opportunity.
We joke in our industry, that this is “just plastic”, but what we are doing with “just plastic” is truly amazing.
My name is Silvana. I work for a company that takes care of their people, that even when we are faced with hard times, I’m still able to work from home and provide for my son and my dog.
I started approximately 5 years ago when I was referred to the company. I can’t say how grateful I am to have been given the chance to work within the Ravago Family.
The people and the culture of the organization is what makes it a great place to work. We not only work together but we lean on each other as a team. During these difficult times, we have daily conference call meetings to ensure that we have all of the support we need for work, but also for our personal matters we might be experiencing. This might sound cheesy, but I feel comfort that I am not alone during this pandemic.
“The healthiest relationships are those where you’re a team; where you protect each other and stand up for one another”
My name is Veda. I am so fortunate to have the pleasure of working for a company like Entec during this COVID-19 pandemic. I have worked for Entec for over 10 years. 9 of those years as a Customer Service Account Representative, until my recent promotion this past year to Customer Service Supervisor. I loved working as an Account Representative because of the interaction with our customers. I built so many relationships, not from just a business side of things, but on a personal level. I just want to say, as I sit here quarantined in my house working from home, I can’t help but wonder and worry about those of you that have to leave the comforts and safety of your home to provide essentials to help us get through this pandemic.
Every day you leave your house and go to work risking your lives and the lives of your loved ones, and I commend you for that. I would like to personally thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart. We are here for you not as a business, but as a family, and will support your needs. You are making a difference.
Entec truly is a family business.
I have worked with Entec for more than ten years and it has been an honor to be a part of this amazing team. We continue our service to our customers in an extraordinary way, while working from home. I’m grateful to Entec for their incredible support, resources and tools to do so. It’s a blessing to have the ability to be there for our customers and to still be working during this time. It’s comforting to know that I can still provide my family with the necessary things in life while supporting my daughter, a college student who still lives at home, as well as helping with my 7 year old grandbaby, my son’s daughter.
The relationships that I’ve built with my colleagues over the years are vital to me as we lean on each other for support during these very difficult times. We genuinely care for each other and lift each other up. It’s not just about the plastic, it’s about these relationships that have been cultivated over the years and our common desire to help meet the needs of others. I want to extend an extra thank you to all of you that are out there on the front lines providing the essential products, especially the PPE.
It is my privilege to serve you! Thank you for the opportunity! Thank you for all you do. I look forward to the future with great hope that this will all be over soon! We will get through this together!
Hello. My name is Marissa and I’ve been a Quality and Documentation Coordinator for 3 years.
When the COVID-19 situation started getting worse in the US, my husband and I were already in the middle of closing on our first house. So you can imagine the anxiety we were feeling when states started issuing Stay-at-Home orders and potentially not being able to work. I feel very blessed that the company has afforded me the opportunity to continue working from home to support my new household, especially since so many in the Orlando area are not able to work.
Working from home as a new homeowner brings with it some challenges, like being surrounded by boxes; however, it also brings some advantages, like being able to unpack those said boxes during a lunch break.
We are very lucky to have the support of all the various departments that make working from home possible. We are all in this together and will make it through this difficult time.
Hi, I am Dee, new to the position of Inventory Specialist. I previously worked in Accounts Payable and then Billing, for a total of 3 years.
Wow, it really is challenging to train remotely involving lots of emails and phone calls to ask questions and learn new processes. Every day is a smorgasbord of new scenarios that surface. A good part of working from home is that I can talk to myself and there is no one to give funny looks.
I live alone and of late, my lifeline to humanity has been my company. My department has daily conference calls where information is shared. Our calls end with a manager giving the joke of the day…we all need to laugh more now. I call my supervisor and lead several times a day and they have been very approachable and kind. Being included in other types of organizational conference calls conveys value from management and I truly appreciate being valued. I am a firm believer that communication bonds people together, and the lack of communication causes separation. I have seen Ravago rise to a new level of communication during this pandemic. During crisis, our true character shows and that is the same for businesses. Ravago’s character has shown as compassion during this time and that touches me every day as I feel less alone because of it.
It is a privilege to serve in a small part for the health and well-being of others who may be ill from COVID-19. This is such a profound time in our lives and knowing that Ravago and our customers are making a positive difference is very encouraging.
To just say life has changed in the world today, as we face the COVID-19 pandemic, would be an understatement. Life went from spending two hours driving to and from the office to now working from my game room table, starting the work day with our Vice President, Steve T’s song of the day, as my husband works from our dining room table an eye shot away. I do have to say Steve has made very good song choices and I have enjoyed listening to them, adding a few to my playlist, that were not already on there. Music has always been a way of bringing people together so it is nice that has not changed.
Personally, I have not faced the challenge of becoming the teacher, as many parents have right now, since my daughter is now in college but there have been other challenges as we face the pandemic. My husband and I always had the agreement to leave the office at the front door so our personal time together was not based on our professional life but now our home is the office. I feel we have done very well in keeping our professional and personal lives separate, even though we have both been working from home. After work hours we have completed several home projects we had discussed for years but never had the time to start. Just a few of my hats include being a chef, a baker, a screen repairman, and an interior decorator. As we go through closets we purge what we have not used building a donation pile, to pass it along to others that may have a need for it. My motto has always been either use it or lose it but it is being fully enforced now. Of course, there were grumblings in the beginning but as we have completed tasks and can see the difference, my family is now on board. We have enjoyed going through the memories from over the years, taking the time to share the stories of the things we come across, as we get everything reorganized. It feels great to make big accomplishments. We have laughed a lot and are enjoying the extra time we have been able to spend together.
Professionally, I feel very blessed to work for a company that has allowed us to work remotely during this time unlike many Americans dealing with the struggles of not being able to work or pay their bills. April 15th, I celebrated my 18 year Anniversary of being with Entec/Ravago and am grateful to be working for a company that is not only helping to keep us all safe but is also part of helping people to heal or to even breathe when stricken by the virus. Working remotely has not changed my work ethic or commitment to helping our team get the job done by making sure the customer’s orders are covered. My dedication to the company has always been a top priority professionally and it does not matter where my desk is, I will always make sure my tasks are done.
I continue working to keep people protected in the plastics world and my husband is still working to put man back in space. I hope for everyone to stay strong, healthy, and to be thankful for all in their lives because this too will soon pass. I will continue to keep everyone, and their families, in my thoughts and prayers.
Please keep yourselves safe and healthy by following the CDC's guidelines.
The recent outbreak of the Coronavirus has generated a lot of concern due to the unknown impact associated with the supply of raw materials.
We are in constant contact with our suppliers and our logistics team is monitoring any potential changes and/or issues. Should any changes have an impact on product availability or lead times, we will send out the appropriate notification as soon as possible while simultaneously posting updates on this webpage.
Our focus is to continue to provide you world-class uninterrupted service. If you feel that a more formal risk mitigation plan is warranted, we recommend you contact your account manager to discuss your forecast demand and the plan that best meets your individual requirements.
The FMCSA (Federal Motor Safety Carriers Association) relaxed HOS (Hours Of Service) regulations for drivers and companies moving critical goods to help aid in preparation and containment. The movement of plastics is not currently eligible for relaxed HOS restrictions. Drivers are mandated to move critical goods and materials first. This means less drivers to deliver plastics in an already tight driver market. The problem will exacerbate as transportation companies begin asking employees to isolate either voluntarily or by government action. We have already seen delays due to these changing circumstances but are doing our very best to work with our transportation partners to deliver plastic on-time.
Dramatic changes are also taking place in the warehousing and logistics industries which are directly connected to COVID-19. Warehouses are adjusting staff to the protect employees. As a consequence, same-day shipments from warehouses are becoming more difficult and receiving new inventory and repackaging products is taking much longer. In short, warehouse operations are slowing down.
We will continue to monitor the ongoing situation and will update you if we anticipate any changes to this statement. Please let us know if you have any further questions or concerns, we will be happy to address them.
Letter from Ravago Vice President of Operations, Sean Williams
While Entec Polymers is actively monitoring our global supplier network and freight lanes to identify any risks of business interruption, we are simultaneously focusing attention on customers requiring components related to COVID-19 support and treatment, particularly those subject to an FDA Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). The latest FDA EUAs for medical devices on the FDA’s website can be found at THIS LINK. As COVID-19 support and treatment extends beyond those critical medical products subject to an FDA EUA, including personal protection equipment (PPE), labware and therapeutic products (as of this writing), our goal is to ensure we understand your priorities so we may take appropriate action to fully align with your needs and state/local requirements.
We are asking customers who produce medical products directly related to the prevention, sampling, testing, detection, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 to contact us as soon as possible.
If your medical product is subject to an FDA EUA:
If your medical product is not subject to an FDA EUA but is related to COVID-19:
An Entec representative will respond to your request quickly and take appropriate action based on priority level. While our supply chain currently remains strong, we recognize that products and services deemed critical are of extreme importance and timing is a priority.
There are 16 critical infrastructure sectors whose assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, are considered so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination thereof. Specific details related to these critical infrastructure sectors can be found on the Department of Homeland Security’s CISA website at THIS LINK.
Many of these sectors either produce or consume plastics during critical times and are therefore companies operating in these sectors are designated as Essential by various federal, state and local governments. We are asking customers who produce these types of products to reach out to us as soon as possible.
Contact UsLetter from Entec Senior Vice President and General Manager, Steve Tomaszewski
At Entec support of our customers is still our priority even during these difficult times. Extra services have been implemented to accommodate our customers.
Please check our news section for more details: