COVID-19’s Impact on PPT

We’re certainly not alone when we say the COVID-19 pandemic took us by surprise. This monumental event forced us to adapt in order to face the challenges it brought. As a reliable packaging manufacturer, Health and Safety has always been one of our core values, but the worldwide pandemic undoubtedly tested our commitment to that value.

Not only are we devoted to the health and safety of our customers but our employees as well. During the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, many businesses were temporarily shut down, as they were deemed non-essential and a risk to public health and safety.

However, we have always considered ourselves an essential business, and thankfully, we were deemed as such. Because we were allowed to remain open, we immediately took action and tried to determine the best way to keep our associates safe. Following the CDC’s COVID-19 guidelines, we provided our employees with masks and other personal protective equipment.

COVID-19 impacted us in several ways. It affected transportation timelines, operational structures, supply chain functionality, and how we view health and safety protocols. When speaking about the packaging industry as a whole, COVID-19 changed the way people view packaging.

Especially towards the beginning of the pandemic, this ‘stockpile mentality’ became more and more prevalent amongst consumers. The public was concerned that, as time went on, it would become more difficult to get their hands on food and other essential items.

Some people joke about the ‘toilet paper scare’ nowadays, but people were legitimately concerned about this kind of thing, and rightfully so. Because of this consumer desire to stockpile essential goods, manufacturers became more interested in shelf life and product preservation than ever before.

As a reaction to the suddenness of the pandemic, supply chains began to prioritize the healthcare industry over anything else, which hindered operations in several other sectors, including packaging. As a packaging manufacturer, these challenges forced us to work around the clock to adapt our processes and procedures to the troubling new conditions.

Continuous improvement has always been a goal of ours, so much so that we have a CI team specifically dedicated to achieving that goal. With their help and much sacrifice from ourselves and our employees, we were able to stay afloat and face COVID-19 with confidence. Our struggles did not go unrewarded, as 2020 was a record year for us in sales.

Like most businesses, we weren’t prepared for the COVID-19 pandemic. Our workforce came together and conquered the challenges in front of us. The pandemic forced us to streamline our packaging manufacturer operations, which are more efficient now than ever before.

Thanks to social distancing, face masks, and readily available COVID-19 testing and vaccinations, it seems as though we can see the light at the end of this dark tunnel, but we’re not going to pretend that the pandemic is over and done.

With the Delta variant at play, we listen to Wyandotte County COVID-19 guidelines to prepare ourselves should things turn ugly again. We have all the supplies we need to combat this virus.

There’s only so much that we can control, but we are doing everything in our power to stay ahead of the curve when it comes to supply levels, transportation coordination, and keeping our associates safe. We’re confident when we say that PPT is prepared to face any challenges the world may throw our way.