Below sets out our policy regarding current COVID-19 policy based on UK government guidelines regarding social distancing and safety measures here at Newton Commercial. As always our main priority is the health and well being of our dedicated staff, customers and suppliers and we appreciate your support during this difficult time
Our Office Team:
All of our office team including sales, customer service, accounts and purchasing are now working between home and the office on a rotational basis and are contactable through email and phone to continue to offer the best customer service possible. While in the office we are adhering to strict social distancing guidelines, with the use of Perspex screening and a change in office layout to protect the well being of our office staff
Our Production Staff:
When initial lockdown measures were implemented here in the UK, we took the difficult decision to shut the factory for three weeks to protect the health of our loyal staff and their families. We have gradually increased our workforce over the last few weeks and months, bringing back small numbers to implement safe working practices and now all our staff are working in some capacity. We have continued during this time to produce and ship orders, however this reduction in staff working hours combined with increased demand for interior trim has lead to an increase in lead times on any out of stock items.
Our approximate lead time on out of stock non moulded carpets or panel items is approximately 6-10 weeks and for any sewn items including seat covers and headlinings, fitted seats or seat refurbishment could be 8-12 weeks in production. We hope to bring this lead time down over the coming weeks with our team working overtime and the recruitment of some new team members across a number of our departments. Please note that some moulded carpets can exceed this lead time and we are quoting a 8-12 week lead time dependent upon the model and the moulding schedule. We aim to up date you of any foreseeable delays once your order gets to 7 weeks which allows our production staff to spend as much time as possible manufacturing interior trim rather than chasing work around the factory. We appreciate your patience during this time and please be assured our team are working on your order as quickly as we possibly can.
Our production team are now back in the factory together although with the addition of a 4 day shift for those who wished to continue with the flexibility the three day shift allowed. To make this possible we have built a new mezzanine floor to create more space for production team members to work safely and move about the factory and also installed a number of screens especially in high traffic areas. We are continuing to maintain social distancing measures without the use of PPE across most of the factory, however in some departments and with some manufacturing processes the use of PPE has been a necessary part of our team's day.
We have implemented the following measures among others to protect our team of skilled craftsmen and women:
- Reconfigured working areas
- Perspex screening where required
- Staggered starts and finishes to working days
- One way system through the factory
- Strict hygiene and social distancing measures
- PPE available where required
Our Suppliers
As always we have good levels of the majority of our raw stock items, however there are some suppliers who have been closed for a prolonged period and are now working their way through their backlog of orders. If your order is affected by any material delays we will update you with as much information as possible as soon as we can. Our suppliers themselves are also working incredibly hard during these difficult times and we appreciate their support and hard work during this time.
All couriers at the moment are under increased pressure and we appreciate the hard work that they are putting in during this difficult time. While most deliveries are turning up promptly. this has lead to a delay on a small number of deliveries. All delivery drivers are adhering to the same strict social distancing measures when visiting the factory. Please check out the individual courier for more details on their delivery procedures during this time.
Visiting the Factory
While it is still possible to visit the factory to pick up or drop off items all customers must adhere to these strict policies and we are unfortunately unable to have anyone inside the factory. This is to keep you and our staff safe. Anyone presenting any symptoms of COVID-19 should not visit the factory under any circumstances
- You may only visit by appointment only (day and time to be arranged with our sales team). For anyone collecting items payment will need to be made over the phone before coming to the factory
- 2 metre social distancing at all times
- You will be asked to load/ unload your own vehicle
Details of this policy will be provided over email before appointment and must be adhered to.
We thank you for your support during this time as always. Take care and stay safe,
From all the Newton team