Behind the Front Line – How COVID-19 is Changing Manufacturing Processes and Protocols

First and foremost Crafts Technology wants to thank each and every one of the front line health care workers who are putting their life on the line everyday. Each of you are heroes and deserve sincere recognition and appreciation… Thank you!

We at Crafts Technology work behind the scenes to support the industrial sector in providing essential tooling to medical and consumer manufactures; so that they can provide critical items that will help each of us through this pandemic.

Through this work of supplying essential tooling it is paramount that we maintain our employee owners and our partners safety at all times.

In March Crafts Technology started instituting a series of detailed processes and protocols that meet or exceed the strict guidance of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to manage potential COVID-19 cases in our operations.

The New Norm of Manufacturing

We’re committed to being part of the solution and realize that producing tooling and parts is only a portion of our responsibility. In our new world of manufacturing we’ve quickly learned how to handle products differently, maintain a safe environment for our workforce, and help our neighboring businesses.

Crafts Technology manufactures unique consumables and tooling that are required to produce an extensive list of essential items. From medical tooling that is adding production of COVID-19 Testing Kits to cutting tools that are used to produce diapers, wipes, and paper towels. As an Essential Business we are supporting so many key partners that we have had to be extremely diligent about how we move forward with safety and productivity in mind.

We have received recognition as an ‘Essential Business’ from numerous partners:

• Becton Dickinson
• Boeing Defense
• Cavaform
• Cornell Dublier
• Dayco
• Evco Plastics
• International Cutting Die
• Magor Mold (Schoettli)
• Nordson
• Prestige Mold
• Proctor & Gamble
• Sidel

Our Products

In addition to our usual staging areas we’ve added specific cleaning stations for incoming and outgoing parts. Our new standard operating procedure includes subjecting all fabricated components to a soak in a detergent solution that is EPA certified to kill the COVID-19 virus. Following the soak an employee wearing proper protective equipment rinses and dries the components, which are then packaged and shipped. We also provide customers with COVID-19 cleaning protocol directions to ensure proper processing when the product reaches its destination.

Our People

Maintaining a secure environment for our employee-owners is a top priority. Like most companies, we’ve implemented staggered work schedules for our manufacturing team who can’t work from home and regularly coordinate video conferences with staff and clients to stay connected. In addition to following the now common guidelines put out by the CDC, we continually discuss and implement new procedures to keep our facility and people safe. As an essential business, we’ve taken extra steps to incorporate policies and invest in systems specific to our needs.

• Reorganized work areas to maximize social distancing and reduce touching along with moving the cafeteria to an open space with designated seat assignments.

• Installed multiple automated hand sanitizer stations and paper towel dispensers 
• Conducted a safety audit that certifies Crafts Technology has implemented extensive measures to reduce exposure of COVID-19, as well as providing additional guidance on improvements that have been instituted to achieve Industry Leader status in the fight of COVID-19.
• Hired BAC Restoration, a service that specializes in disinfecting high traffic areas, to sanitize our facility once a week with hospital grade disinfectant.

Our Chairman of the Board and his wife are doing their part to protect the Crafts team. Together they hand-made cloth face masks for all on-site employees. To make the masks fit better and more comfortably we 3D printed mask adjusters that are currently being used by many employees.

Our Community

Elk Grove Village, home to the largest industrial park in North America, reached out to local businesses seeking their expertise. Jeff Taylor, Crafts Technology President & CEO, immediately volunteered to work as an advisor assisting local businesses during this time of crisis.

The village also asked the Crafts team, based on our knowledge of the manufacturing industry, to identify firms that could support the severe shortages that our medical community is experiencing. Team members Joe Abbate, Rojar Patel, Jeff Roberts, and Jeff Taylor stepped up to the challenge. Over the last few weeks they reviewed over 8,000 Chicagoland companies. The information was used to launch a one-stop-shop website. The Novel Coronavirus – Business Information & Resources website provides critical information for businesses including…

• How to access financial assistance via local, state and federal government agencies including the U.S. Small Business Administration
• How to donate supplies to health care workers, first responders and others on the front lines battling the pandemic
• What companies can do to strengthen their supply chain in order to get needed materials into the hands of those who need it most
• How to identify local vendors/contractors who can deliver goods and services that are needed amid the pandemic (cleaning and sanitation companies, manufacturers of personal safety equipment, etc.)

The Future

As we prepare to restart the economy, it’s important to reflect on how important manufacturing is to America and America’s safety. Consider how quickly the virus has evolved into a global pandemic, how it affects manufacturing in unprecedented ways, and the supply chain risks that have been exposed.

Assisting in the production of lifesaving medical supplies during this massive disruption is both humbling and gratifying. There’s no question that the front line, first responders are bearing the biggest burden but Crafts Technology, like many US manufacturers, is honored to step-up and do our part to continually fight the COVID-19 battle.

Crafts Technology, Inc. manufactures machinery and components. The Company offers rings, core pins, fluid dispensing components, tungsten carbide, advanced ceramics, and precision knives. Crafts Technology conducts its business in the State of Illinois.