All hands on deck for epidemic prevention! Delta works as one to fight against COVID-19

Global Covid-19 response command center quickly set up to
tackle tremendous challenges

On January 30th, the first working day after the Lunar New Year, Delta’s management quickly gathered all relevant units for an emergency meeting and set up a Global Covid-19 Response Command Center. The resulting instructions were to put employee safety above all else during epidemic prevention efforts, and strive to control the epidemic while resuming operations. The meeting also announced that all employees should suspend their business trips. The command center is paying close attention to the development of the epidemic and closely collaborates with factories and business units around the globe to implement Delta’s plan for prevention and control of Covid-19. Delta has appointed a general commander of the global response team, who in turn has appointed top-level managers to command Delta’s regional response teams in China, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, Europe, and America. The command center has proposed six areas of focus: epidemic severity levels and corresponding responses, organization and work allocation, environmental management, personnel management, business trip and attendance management, and external/internal communication management.

Director of the Delta Covid-19 response command center, Jesse Chou, who is also Delta’s spokesperson, said, “The biggest challenge is having employees return for the resumption of operations, which can’t be rushed. Everyone must spend enough time in quarantine and self-monitoring.” The key to prevention and control is personnel management. For example, in China employees returning from other places must all be quarantined for 14 days. In addition, every day employees must measure their own temperatures, disinfect hands with alcohol, and fill in a health declaration form. Each factory is equipped with infrared thermal imaging cameras to screen personnel entering the factory, and supplies of protective face masks are available to employees. Delta has also set up mask production lines in East China and begun manufacturing with production capacity that is sufficient to meet the needs of company staff. In addition, business trips are strictly controlled and have been replaced with video conferencing to reduce the risk to employee health. As for non-employees, all guests, visitors, and suppliers must have their temperatures taken, disinfect their hands, and fill in a health declaration form when entering each factory.

Delta factories take the temperature of each person entering the factory, and supplies of face masks are available to employees

Another challenge lies in the acquisition of supplies related to the epidemic. All the Delta branches abroad, including those in America, Thailand, and India, should proactively search for and procure supplies. The financial and central procurement departments should also adjust the payment procedures as flexibly as possible to complete the payment efficiently and secure the supplies in time.

Factories strive to resume operations—A race against time The company

The production and R&D base in Wujiang District, Jiangsu is an important hub for Delta. Currently, a shortage of labor has become its biggest challenge. Director of Wujiang No. 3 Factory, Jing-hao Yu, who rushed back to work during the Lunar New Year, has worked at Delta for 30 years.

To resume operations as soon as possible, the factories have taken proactive measures. “In addition to fulfilling their main responsibilities, the director of each business unit also takes charge of recruitment. Recruitment can be divided into three categories: internal recommendation, employees returning to work, and direct recruitment. Each department is assigned a recruitment target.” Yu gave an example of employees returning to work, and said the company dispatched chartered vehicles to pick up employees from various districts. With “point-to-point and one-stop” transportation service, Delta sent vehicles to bring employees back. To date, Delta has brought 1,609 employees back. The HR department swiftly prepared lists of returning employees for review, proactively applied for permits for employees to leave their respective villages, and checked their personal travel histories. HR also coordinates the dispatching of vehicles, and drivers transport employees with permits and entry passes. In line with local government policies, the company carries out recruitment events in key communities to shorten the distance with applicants. New recruits are encouraged to engage in employee online training sessions and take exams using Wechat groups, MOA, and the Academy platform.

The company dispatches chartered vehicles to provide “point-to-point and one-stop” transportation service for employees

Support for frontline epidemic prevention efforts— HR gives strong backing

As first-line personnel strive to resume operations, HR staff must not only take on the responsibility of recruiting workers, but must also fulfill their administration and logistics duties. Zhengbin Lin, Delta Group China regional head of HR, said, “The factories were eager to start production again, but for the safety of our employees, we thought it was better to wait a while. We have even quarantined our employees in a way much stricter than what is used by the government. We’d rather lose some business for the time being. This is a manifestation of people-oriented management.”

Lin, who experienced the SARS crisis, pointed out that the company makes use of technology and keeps track of employees with Wechat by requiring everyone to check in and keep records of their location. As for external communication, HR also strives to improve communication channels together with headquarters.

Delta’s Industrial Automation Solution and Uninterrupted Power System build fortress of epidemic prevention

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, there has been a shortage of masks all over the world. In hospitals, the demand for additional diagnostic equipment is also an issue. Delta has helped many mask manufacturers produce masks through a variety of industrial automation products such as PLCs, servers, HMIs and frequency converters, and has also launched its "Full Automation Solution for Planar Mask Making Machine" and "Full Automation Solution for Folding Type Mask Making Machine". At the same time, the UPS team supports the medical system through manpower deployment and excellent power supplies, responding quickly to epidemic prevention needs through both measures.

In response to the demands of epidemic prevention, Delta has used various industrial automation products such as PLCs, servers, HMIs, and frequency converters, to help a number of mask making machine manufacturers speed up production

In the market, there are mainly two kinds of masks, planar masks and 3D masks, which require manufacturing equipment using different technologies. Delta has corresponding automation solutions for each. For the planar mask making machine, the process is relatively simple, while process control is important. The machine adopts Delta’s programmable logic controller (PLC) AS300 series and servo driver ASDA-A2 series. Delta’s servo drive system ASDA-A2-M series can achieve production speeds of 150 pieces per minute.

The folding type mask making machine needs to weld ear strings before die cutting and forming because the shape of the mask is three-dimensional. The production efficiency of the folding type mask making machine is slower than that of a planar mask making machine. Manufacturers can improve the production efficiency of the mask making machine by changing the actions of welding the ear strings and edge sealing into flying shear. The mask making machine manufacturers chose Delta’s CANopen busbar-type motion controller DVP15MC11T to control up to 24 real axes and support multi-axis commands such as electronic gear, electronic cam, rotary cutting, and G-code. This solution can work together with Delta’s servo drive system ASDA-A2-M series, which adopts the pull-back curve of the flying shear band. It is simple to use, has better control performance, and can quickly respond to the needs of the front line.

The folding type mask making machine needs to weld ear strings before die cutting and forming because the shape of the mask is three-dimensional. The production efficiency of the folding type mask making machine is slower than that of a planar mask making machine. Manufacturers can improve the production efficiency of the mask making machine by changing the actions of welding the ear strings and edge sealing into flying shear. The mask making machine manufacturers chose Delta’s CANopen busbar-type motion controller DVP15MC11T to control up to 24 real axes and support multi-axis commands such as electronic gear, electronic cam, rotary cutting, and G-code. This solution can work together with Delta’s servo drive system ASDA-A2-M series, which adopts the pull-back curve of the flying shear band. It is simple to use, has better control performance, and can quickly respond to the needs of the front line.

At the end of January, the medical customer in northeast China was ordered to produce CT and X-ray machines for Wuhan’s Huoshenshan Hospital, Leishenshan hospital and other hospitals in Hubei. To support badly needed frontline UPS power supplies, Delta’s Wujiang factory applied to the local government to start work immediately and promptly answered the power demand for medical equipment using limited manpower and materials. As of mid-March, Delta had produced a total of 300 UPS units for various hospitals, 3 units for Huoshenshan hospital and 1 or 2 for each of other hospitals. It is estimated that by the end of the epidemic in April, Delta will ensure the power supply of the CT equipment and facilities in a total of 100-plus general hospitals in mainland China.

The UPS team at the Wujiang factory asked returning employees to fully meet the delivery demands of medical equipment customers

During the same period, Delta received an urgent notice from customers that mainland China needed 1,000 new-model disinfection cabinets in hospitals and the programming and prototype work had to be completed within a few days. Delta worked closely with its channel partners to provide the disinfection cabinet with electrical systems, complete the program debugging earlier than expected, actively coordinate the factory's emergency stock, organize the supply of goods, and save precious time.

Delta online courses and DeltaMOOCx help prevent the epidemic from interrupting work and learning

The epidemic has made working from home a necessity for many. To help partners, distributors, and customers fully understand Delta's industrial automation products, technologies and solutions without leaving home, Delta joined forces with the Daodao live broadcast platform to present “10 days to understand Delta's industrial automation" that featured 10 consecutive days of classes starting from February 19th. A total of 21 automation courses were broadcast, in which Delta senior engineers gave comprehensive and detailed explanations on various aspects of industrial automation products such as functional technology, model selection and commissioning of machines, and application skills. Delta also arranged for teaching assistants to provide timely answers to the online audiences.

In early February, Taiwan postponed the start of classes for senior high schools and lower levels. During this period, "DeltaMOOCx", a free online course platform set up by the Delta Foundation, saw an increase in the number of click-through rates. Many students from senior high schools, vocational high schools and universities of science and technology, through DeltaMOOCx, studied core basic science courses and automated basic courses. The total number of click-through rates on the YouTube and youku video websites exceeded 7 million.

Delta cooperated with the Daodao live broadcast platform to present “10 days to understand Delta's industrial automation" online classes

Continue to strengthen risk management

After the outbreak of the epidemic, various units of Delta demonstrated their superb capabilities for contingency management and mobilization, and effectively controlled all aspects of the epidemic’s impact. However, to cope with the operational risks caused by large-scale infectious diseases, a more comprehensive risk management system should be established in the future. The epidemic will pass and Delta’s next step will be to strengthen its risk and crisis management system.