It has been just over a year since I joined Benchmark as CEO, drawn to Benchmark’s broad abilities to bring customer’s product dreams to reality. And Benchmark customers dream big! We serve innovators solving some of the world’s biggest challenges in medical technologies, defense, security, next-gen communications, advanced computing, complex industrial applications, and semiconductor capital equipment. From curing disease to improving global access to broadband, our customers are truly changing the world, and I, along with the entire Benchmark global team, are passionate about helping them make that change a reality.
One year into my time at Benchmark, the world finds itself confronting a global health crisis, and the innovative products Benchmark helps engineer and manufacture for our customers matter more than ever before. While no one foresaw this specific situation and timing, we always understood that making life-saving and mission-critical products came with special responsibilities, and we are ready to be a major contributor to essential businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Benchmark team is working with each of our customers to adjust to the current situation. We’ve all read about the challenge of getting the right equipment to front-line healthcare workers to combat COVID-19. Luckily, Benchmark has the facilities and technical experts to help ramp up production rapidly for critical products. These include medical devices that allow healthcare professionals to prevent, test, and treat the coronavirus, such as ventilators, portable x-ray units, chest scanning devices, nitric oxide treatment systems, diagnostic equipment, and infusion pumps for temporary hospitals. Additionally, Benchmark is manufacturing two transformational COVID-19 PCR testing products that yield results within an hour, one for COVID-19 and one for sepsis, a common condition in COVID-19 patients.
For many other customers in communications, defense, and advanced computing, keeping production on-track is the number one priority. These include critical technologies supporting food production, energy production, national security, and communications networks. Avoiding disruptions to these key industries help keep everyone safe and allow communities to transition to the next phase of fighting the pandemic. While we have to be in our factories to produce many of these critical products, we’re encouraging work from home wherever possible, including for design engineers and corporate staff.
Of course, where operations continue, there are many more considerations now than under normal operating conditions. We are committed to the health and safety of every employee and rapidly instituted new cleaning, site access restrictions, and other essential health and safety procedures in line with the CDC and WHO recommendations. Our supply chain is working tirelessly to keep material flowing despite global logistics disruptions. I am so impressed by the commitment, professionalism, and creative problem solving of all of our employees during this unprecedented time. Truly, I have never seen a large business operation pivot so much in just a one month period, and I thank everyone for the hard work that allowed that to happen.
The ability to support these dramatic changes to our customers’ needs isn’t something we developed in response to the current pandemic; it is built into Benchmark’s DNA. Our network is designed to be flexible and agile, with advanced capabilities supported by the best technical experts. We are always improving, from standing up our newest state-of-the-art engineering and manufacturing facility in Phoenix, Arizona to expanding microelectronics capabilities at our site in Thailand. Getting through challenging times has always required innovative solutions, and we are more than ready to do our part. The Benchmark team is committed to being there when our customers, and those they serve, need us most. When it matters most.
To learn more about Benchmark's contributions to the fight against COVID-19 as well as its commitment to employee safety, please visit www.bench.com/covid19.
