ENGEL has closed its production operations at its Austrian plants after six of its employees tested positive for corona virus. The Austrian plants are closed until April 15, 2020 to also protect the company's employees given the overall strong increase in the number of new infections especially in the regions close to the plants. Affected facilities in Austria include its main plant in Schwertberg, the large machine plant in St. Valentin, and the robot plant in Dietach.
According to the company statement, by closing the factory, ENGEL wants to actively contribute to slowing down the further spread of the virus as it assures that the health and safety of its employees and their families is ENGEL's highest priority. ENGEL has also been in touch with all affected employees who are either doing well or are already on their way to recovery.
Sales, applications and service division including hotline and spare parts department continue to be available to ENGEL customers worldwide without restrictions.
ENGEL operations in Asia
Even while its production plants are closed in Austria, ENGEL's production facilities in Asia are operating under normal conditions since China and Korea are starting to return to normal life.
From the very beginning, ENGEL had strictly implemented all measures specified and recommended by the governments of both countries to slow down the spread of Covid-19, thus keeping the impact of the pandemic on its plants small.
Production at the large machine plant in Shanghai has resumed since February 10, 2020 after the scheduled Chinese New Year holidays were extended by one week upon order of the government. In the meantime, the employees who were affected by quarantine measures have also returned to work.
The production plant for small and medium-sized machines in Pyungtaek, Korea, was able to operate at full capacity throughout the whole pandemic and without any delays in delivery times.
With their experience and discipline, the ENGEL teams in Asia are now a role model for all other ENGEL locations.