United Kingdom

United Kingdom

Construction
Transport
Construction
Transport

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Altro: manufacturing update

As we enter a new week in the fight against Covid-19, I wanted to tell you about some manufacturing changes we’re making to support the need for new healthcare facilities.

What we're doing:

As you will know, to care for the increasing number of people with the Covid-19 virus, the construction of temporary hospitals and care facilities across the country is underway. Our floors and hygienic wall solutions are being installed in many of these much-needed NHS facilities. It means that we are adapting our manufacturing to focus on these key products. Despite this current focus, if you need a different product from our range, please be assured that we have high levels of stock and do not anticipate any supply issues.

As the majority of the installations are temporary or involve adapting a space that currently has a completely different function and need to be completed quickly, we are focussing on the production of our adhesive-free floors: Altro XpressLay, Altro Cantata and Altro Wood adhesive-free. These floors halve installation time and can be installed over the existing flooring, reducing costs and getting the job done quickly. In some cases, the floors have been installed and are ready to walk on within 24-hours of us dispatching the order. With no adhesive, there are no associated odours to bother staff or patients as the facilities begin running. If you have any questions about how these floors work or are installed, visit our adhesive-free pages.

Our other focus is Altro Whiterock White, which combines with the flooring to provide a hygienic, impervious surface. The wall sheet can be installed over tiles, or onto a temporary wall structure. Once installed, the system is 100% watertight and impervious, so there’s nowhere for bacteria to hide and the sheets can be wiped clean. Again, for more information visit our walls pages. We also have a series of wall installation videos.

How are we doing it:

Of course to make and supply these floors and walls, we need to ensure our staff are safe. We have been following government guidelines for several weeks and the majority of Altro employees are now working from home. For those involved in manufacturing and supply, we have put strict social distancing measures in place including:

  • reduced numbers of staff working at any one time, with shift patterns that ensure they can work safely while manufacturing continues
  • a personal supply of protective clothing, hand sanitiser and wipes for each member of staff
  • a social-distancing ‘champion’ who ensures measures are followed and staff are safe
  • more areas open to staff on breaks, giving them more space
  • a one-way system in place to reduce the need for staff to pass each other

Getting in touch:

If you have any questions about this, or you have a different query, here are a few ways to get in touch:

  • call our customer care centre on 01462 489 516
  • call our technical hotline on 01462 707 600
  • Email us at enquiries@altro.com – or email your usual Altro contact. You can also contact your Altro consultant using Microsoft Teams (or your communications technology of choice), which enables you to video call, as well as telephone and message
  • chat with a member of our customer care centre online using our Live Chat (click the ‘let’s chat’ button on the bottom right-hand side of your screen)
  • contact us via social media: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. You will also be able to see any announcements from us here

Wishing you well,

Mark Johnstone
Head of commercial, UK, Middle East and Ireland