COVID-19 Outbreak: Official Statement From Our CEO To Our Customers

March, 16th 2020,

 

Although as of March 13, 2020, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHCAC) is assessing the public health risk associated with COVID-19 as low for the Canadian population, this assessment may change suddenly over the next few days or weeks. Following the lead of government and World Health Organization (WHO) health officials, Marquis is taking concrete measures in our operations and business practices to reduce the spread of the virus, and the impact on our manufacturing capacity and our customers.

 

Business Continuance

 

This situation is changing daily, but we are confident that both our standard practices and enhanced safety measures will allow us to adapt to this important health concern and minimize near-term business impact. We value and appreciate the loyal partnerships Marquis has built with our customers. In the event of disruption, we will capitalize on our available production resources, flexibility of services and regular communications to help our publishers sustain their businesses.

 

Marquis has invested in a common business ERP and production platform that will allow us to sustain operations and transition projects effectively in any of our 3 plants. Our staff has secure access to customer CRM and data that will support our continued operations, should remote work be necessary. Our Customer Support Representatives (CSRs) are all paired with back-ups and work in teams to ensure continuity of customer communication.    

Marquis has production redundancy built into our 3 plants in the event we experience a plant shutdown due to COVID-19 incidence including:

• Inkjet backup between 2 plants
• Offset backup between 2 plants
• Sheetfed backup across all 3 plants
• Softcover backup across all 3 plants
• Hardcover backup with strategic partnerships

We are working with our suppliers to understand how they are responding to this health crisis, as well as creating contingency plans for individual projects as needed. At this time, our 3 major paper suppliers, all located in Québec, Canada, have confirmed that they will have full service. Ink, plates and other supplies are also secured.

Marquis will expand our services wherever possible should our customers require us to replace services traditionally provided by other partners.  Supporting customer logistics and product distribution would be a primary extension of current services if current channels or publisher fulfillment partner services are disrupted.

 

In our plant and office locations

 

• Communication of best practices for hand washing and protective measures
• Increased cleaning of common and high contact public surfaces
• Sourcing and distribution of additional sanitizing supplies for employee use in personal workspaces
• Limiting and restricting plants visit for customers and suppliers

 

People and movement

 

• Business travel by plane has been suspended until further notice
• Promoting the use of social distance techniques (video conferencing, emails, telephone, etc.) to limit contacts and travel
• Encouraging employees to work remotely where possible, and to restrict travel by public transportation

 

We appreciate knowing about your approach to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus and will be collaborating with you in keeping our workforce safe and healthy, and protecting our communities. Should you have a specific concern with regard to your projects or needs, please reach out to your Sales Representative for discussion. We will continue to update you on our guidelines and approach as they evolve.

 

Our hearts and thoughts go out to the people who have been affected by this unprecedented event and we appreciate the dedication of healthcare workers, local communities, and governments around the world working on solutions.  

 

Respectfully,

Serge Loubier

President & CEO – Marquis Book Printing Inc