AECI’s response plan for COVID-19

AECI established a task team in March 2020 to specifically manage the response to COVID-19. It is a pandemic having significant impact on people as well as business and economies throughout the world. In South Africa, a national state of disaster has been declared and the country entered lockdown on 26 March 2020. Various forms of lockdown are in force around the world.

The task team has developed a strategy which focuses primarily on preventing and minimising the spread of the virus but also on ensuring our business remains operational. AECI manufactures numerous products which are supplied to, among other, personal healthcare, water treatment, food and beverage, agriculture and mining. It is of international importance that these and others remain functional and therefore of strategic importance for some of AECI’s businesses to remain operational.

The strategic intent of the task team is as follows:

1. To prevent or reduce, as far as possible, the infection of our employees, their families, co-workers and others who may come into contact with them;
2. To reduce the risk of COVID-19 becoming a community, national or international disaster;
3. To ensure prompt and adequate detection and treatment;
4. To reduce the level of absenteeism, due to direct or indirect effects of COVID-19;
5. To minimise the impact on operations and ensure AECI can honour contractual obligations and that it continues to secure its revenue streams;
6. To reduce the spread of COVID-19 and ultimately reduce the strain on international healthcare systems;
7. To ultimately restore society back to “business as usual”; and
8. To increase our readiness for future outbreaks.

This document details the latest response and requirements for Group businesses, employees, contractors, visitors and suppliers in preventing the spread of COVID-19, and reducing the impact on people, our business and that of our customers.