Risk. Readiness. Reaction. Results.

February was a tumultuous month. When it started, Americans were focused on politics and the Super Bowl. When February ended, Covid-19 dominated the news. Major conferences, concerts and events were cancelled, and the first U.S. deaths were reported.

That was just a prelude to waves of bad news in March, when most sports events were cancelled and many “non-essential” businesses closed their doors. In mid-March, the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus a pandemic.

Blindsided by the unprecedented disruptions, many businesses belatedly adopted measures to adjust their operations and protect employees and customers from infection.

Largely because our parent organization is an international business with global visibility, AJC Logistics watched the crisis unfolding and began preparing for U.S. outbreaks in early February. Preparations were guided by our history of dealing with natural disasters and other unforeseen events—such as the SARS outbreak in 2003 and more recently, two devastating hurricanes in Puerto Rico, where we have extensive operations.

In February, we started developing business continuity plans for a wide range of circumstances, including shelter-in-place mandates. By mid-March, every employee had protective masks, hand sanitizer, and dual monitors for working at home.

Throughout the crisis, we’ve been able to adapt to delays, plant closings, bottlenecks and sudden changes. In our next post, we’ll share stories of how AJC Logistics, carriers and shippers are dealing with all the major disruptions in their businesses.