Benjamins At Full Power

Benjamins At Full Power

April 10, 2020

Benjamins, makers of a range of products for pharmaceuticals, personal care, food preparation, and cleaning products was featured in the penultimate edition of the JMEA IG Live series “The Production Sector Speaks” on April 9. Marketing Manager Michelle Valentine and Pharmacist Heroy Thomas hosted the broadcast and gave a brief overview of the 140 year-old company highlighting its ISO 9001 2015 certification.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic was a call to action for Benjamins, as they had the infrastructure and distribution network in place to help satisfy the escalating demand for consumer and industrial sanitization products, both of which Benjamins had the capacity to produce. The company is also under pressure to supply products that are raw materials for other manufacturers. To maximise the production opportunities, the company scrutinized its processes, suppliers and clients in the context of its business health. Suppliers in China were not in a position to deliver within the required timeline, so the company did research and entered into arrangements with suppliers from other countries. They made a decision to rapidly bring a new sanitization product on the market, and concurrently reviewed production processes to see how to speed up lines without compromising safety and quality.

The result was extending the production schedule to six days per week running on 24 hour shifts and Benjamin’s 70% ethyl alcohol hand sanitizer was in the hands of regional distributor Facey Commodities. Both companies have been working closely together for more than 50 years.

In order to deliver on the expectations, keeping staff morale high is critical, and the measures to demonstrate a commitment to employee safety and that of their families was as important as meeting production schedules. During the broadcast, the executives quoted that it has produced 500,000 units of products, indicating that this was an increase over a corresponding period.

Benjamin’s, like many others, has expanded work-from-home and introduced additional actions to reduce the spread of the virus on its property. All staff and customers have to go through a temperature check on arrival and undertake hand sanitization. The company has reminders posted around the workplace and also spoken through daily intercom broadcasts. Staff also receive a weekly allotment of sanitization products and masks for their personal use. Work-from-home staff participate in a daily teleconference with other team members to keep staff focused on achieving production goals.

Charitable giving as a part of corporate social responsibility also featured in the broadcast. The company has increased donations to non-profits including Missionaries for the Poor, Food for the Poor, and Open Heart Ministries. It also gives sanitization and cleaning product to government infirmaries, the Central Police Station and the Bustamante Hospital for Children.

The 2018 Economic and Social Survey Jamaica (ESSJ) noted that electricity consumption between 2017 and 2018 grew by 3.9 million kWh, representing 0.12%. Keeping companies in production in the face of the shut down of the hotel industry will positively impact the electricity and water supply industry which had been cautiously anticipating expanded consumption.

/gd