hidden champions

Our heroes in times of corona

A review of 20 weeks in a state of emergency
The CWS employee magazine
02/2020
Captain America graffiti
Everyday life with corona is – almost – back to normal again. Reason enough to take a look back and celebrate the CWS spirit of the colleagues in the crisis.

Let us recall: March sees rapidly rising infection rates herald the state of emergency. The CWS employees – especially in the laundries and in service –  know straight away: as helpers of the systemically relevant helpers, they now bear a great responsibility – and set about tackling it.

In dialogue with their customers, they quickly find solutions for the rising hygiene requirements. The growing need for hygienically clean textiles necessitates, among other things, night shifts in the laundries. Supply bottlenecks with disinfectants make for added pressure on the CWS Supply Chain Organization. With utmost commitment, they find new suppliers and delivery channels and can thus ensure the supply of the vital products to our customers.

Person sewing selfmade masks

At the same time, a wave of solidarity sweeps through the entire company: in Eindhoven, sales staff help out in service. Employees take action on their own initiative when there is a lack of mouth and nose masks. For example the Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) in Międzyrzecz, CWS Česká repulika, and Haniel and CWS in Duisburg: they donate masks, some of which they sew themselves, to hospitals, care facilities and retirement homes.

The CWS Supply Chain Organization coordinates the obtainment of the around 150,000 washable mouth and nose masks needed for the CWS employees and their families. The nine-strong team at SCM Lauterbach packs and sends out 19,000 masks in two days alone. Great individual initiatives bridge the requirements before that: for example Tatjana Valkov, a trainee in Bad Oldesloe, tailors masks in CWS colours in her free time for her team in the Healthcare Nord customer service back office. The laundry team in Brehna produces around 865 masks for all the location’s employees, drivers and field staff based on a pattern developed by colleague Petra Kiesche.

Flowchart CWS Workwear cleaning process
1. Rising infection figures led to supply bottlenecks in March 2. Laundries are working night shifts. 3. New suppliers and delivery channels are opening up. This ensures the supply of important products to customers.

CWS employees throughout Europe respond to an internal call and say "THANK YOU" by photo to the colleagues doing their very best in laundries, on tour or in customer service under difficult conditions.

The easing of lockdown restrictions in early May makes it clear that some colleagues are experiencing existential hardship as a result of the corona crisis. For the purpose of giving them unbureaucratic help, the CWS management sets up the CWS Support Fund at the beginning of May, financed with the aid of voluntary contributions from the CWS management and Haniel's Executive Board.

“The tireless commitment with which all employees have played their part in covering the increased demand for hygiene solutions is something that makes me proud. This CWS spirit is something that cannot be prescribed – but rather reflects the fact that each and every one of our employees lives by the values for which CWS stands.”
Jürgen Höfling, CEO