14 May 2020

This crisis has revealed the capacity for mobilisation and solidarity of our employees and partners

Luke Tournaire
Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tournaire

Grasse, 29 April 2020.

Your thoughts on experiencing this period of confinement at Tournaire?  

Tournaire experienced this first part of the crisis very well due to the mobilisation of the majority of the staff and a very strong involvement of the crisis unit that we set up at the beginning of the confinement resulting from the appearance of COVID. This unit did a remarkable job and we were able to very quickly put in place the protections and procedures necessary to guarantee the health and safety of all employees who were able to continue working.

During this period of confinement, we had 25 to 30% of employees absent, but thanks to the mobilization of office employees who came to help with production, we had a production level of 85% compared to the usual production.

 

How did your staff cop during this difficult period? 

I am aware that this period has been difficult for everyone and I would like to thank all of the staff who have mobilized despite what I know is an anxiety-provoking situation. I would also like to specifically thank the production manager, who has ensured exceptional figures given the reduced workforce, our CFO, who has taken charge of the crisis management unit and our health and safety manager, who has been involved in ensuring staff safety.

 

Were you able to respond to customer demand?

The customer demand has been very strong and our deliveries have been 95% of what we usually achieve. We sensed a concern from customers who wondered if we would continue to deliver products to them, but we were able to deliver 95% of the orders. Stocks are currently low but we will replenish them with the return of staff during the subsequent period.

 

Are you confident on exiting confinement?  

We are hoping now that all employees will be back at the company so that we can be 100% operational, as we have to replenish stocks, the customer demands are substantial, the order book is nearly full. We are, however, encountering some shipping problems, especially to Asian countries, as ships are less frequent and some containers are stuck in Marseille. Shipments are operating correctly for Europe and the rest of the world. For a packaging manufacturer, the key to its operation is that the logistics work. Our subcontractors have all reopened (for those who had closed), I am fairly confident, but the uncertainty remains significant, we are very far upstream in the production chain, as are our customers, and their visibility is low. I am concerned that the recovery will take several months, I would say at least six months and with some hiccups.

 

Luke Tournaire, what have you concluded from this crisis? 

This crisis has been an opportunity to experience the solidarity of local businesses. We have been helped on several occasions by local companies in order to obtain hydroalcoholic gel (difficult to find in mid-March). This solidarity, I hope will last afterwards because it is an essential element for the success of a region