Thanks to careful preparations and early preventative measures aimed at overcoming unpredictable challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Skretting Vietnam has successfully ensured that all of its production, product supply chains and customer care activities have remained safe, stable and able to continue to provide high-quality aquafeeds for the aquaculture industry of Vietnam and other countries in the region.
With Skretting’s position as a world leader in the manufacture and supply of aquafeeds, and utilising the organisation’s global experience of dealing with the impacts of COVID-19, the company promptly came up with several robust solutions aimed at ensuring the health of its employees, while also maintaining its essential activities, including providing high-quality feed products, conducting training, upholding technical services and conducting key social activities.
Ensuring production and workers health
The arrival of the COVID-19 epidemic led Skretting to immediately develop a thoughtful Business Continuity Plan that not only enabled the production team in Vietnam to work safely, but to also quickly implement a new “3 on the spot” initiative. This in turn has ensured a safe supply chain, minimised potential risks, and protected the health of workers – essential to maintaining the production chain.
With the goal of protecting workers’ health and maintaining production, from July to early September 2021, Skretting Vietnam coordinated with agencies and local authorities to deliver vaccinations against COVID-19 for all production staff at factories in Long An.
Maintaining customer support services
During the complicated epidemic situation, and in addition to safeguarding supplies of high-quality products, Skretting’s in-depth technical support services and water sample analysis laboratory system for customers have continued to be maintained in operation, helping customers to promptly respond to any incidents arising in the farming process.
For those areas where travel has proved difficult but where there has been a fundamental need to transfer Skretting’s best-practice farming techniques, its Technical Team has coordinated staff members physically at customers’ farms in order to implement our ‘’3 on the spot’’ method. Thanks to such endeavours, the Technical Service has maintained effective operation and provided timely customer support throughout the crisis.
Active participation in social activities
Social and environmental protection rank among the top priorities of Skretting and its customers, and form an integral part of our sustainable development strategy. In past years, we have organised charity activities such as “Skretting gets kids to school†or “We got your back, Central†as well as building bridges in the farming areas to provide essential support to local community.
In August, recognising that the fourth wave of COVID-19 had profoundly affected the lives of many people across the country, Skretting and many of its customers in 12 provinces in nationwide organised the special program “Skretting – Connecting love”, providing rice and food for households facing difficult circumstances during the epidemic.
Hopefully, this support will alleviate some of the burdens impacting people across the country, and give strength to communities, so that together, we can overcome this most challenging time. Besides social activities on protecting public health, Skretting continued to maintain activities promoting environmental protection, particularly on the occasion of World Oceans Day. Colourful and creative promotional posters were shared on social networking sites, spreading more positive energy and meaningful messages to the community.
Promote team cohesion
Amid difficulties in travelling to conduct face-to-face meetings, the Skretting team has been flexible and creative in applying many new communication tools. Online conferences have been hosted by the Board of Directors to communicate with the company’s entire staff, as well as between smaller teams, and to provide distance training courses. Webinars have also been held regularly, with the goal of ensuring the safety and cohesion of the team and sharing knowledge, as well keeping everyone up-to-date on the latest production news and market information.
Unquestionably, these online activities have helped ensure that the entire team is ready to respond to any new volatility and able to quickly seize upon potential opportunities. They have also enabled us to overcome the constraints brought by COVID to provide customers with the latest information, which is essential for them to deliver the most successful results possible.
In her messsage, Skretting Vietnam General Manager, Bui Thuy Tien said, “During the past three months, COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the production activities of the whole country in general, and the aquaculture industry in particular. However, with the determination to ensure the safety and stability of high-quality feeds and to deliver outstanding technical services, the entire Skretting team has made every effort to implement a variety of flexible response measures in both production and consumption in the market. In addition to maintaining production, serving customers, and bringing value to farmers, we continue to demonstrate its responsibility to the community through volunteering programmes in severely affected farming areas.
“Skretting Vietnam greatly appreciates all of the support that it has received from departments and agencies at all levels in this challenging time. We would also like to express our sincere thanks to our valued customers who have continues to sympathise and support this company and its activities through these difficult times. It is a great honour for Skretting to continue to work with customers to overcome these challenges time, and we look forward to new opportunities in the near future.”
