With most states relaxing COVID-19 restrictions, factories around the U.S. are coming back online. But there are challenges when restarting manufacturing facilities that have been shut down for months on end.
You can’t just flip a switch to get everything back to normal.
Most manufacturers already know that. They have shutdown and startup procedures baked into their list of standard operations. These usually cover everything from machinery preparation to product qualification.
But does that mean everything is ready to go? Probably not.
It is very unlikely that any of these startup procedures were written with a pandemic in mind.
The safety of employees and stakeholders are the primary consideration that must drive operational changes. However, this is not just about health and safety. A COVID outbreak or hotspot in your facility will seriously disrupt operations. In some cases, it could shut down your entire facility.