Ferrari has announced it has begun the gradual restart of vehicle production at its Maranello and Modena plants following the shutdown of those facilities in mid-March as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak, which is the longest closure in its history.
The automaker resumed build activities yesterday, May 4, and is set to ease into resuming full production on May 8. In preparation for this, the company held a series of safety training briefings last week, primarily for employees involved in the initial restart.
Attendees were informed on the best precautionary measures to take against any health risk. The company said it will provide checks at the entrances to workstations as aell as necessary PPE items, and said that environments had been reorganised and new rules for sharing common areas would apply.
The company was forced to close its factories in Maranello and Modena, both situated in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, on March 14 as a response to the Covid-19 outbreak as well as due to a shortage of parts.
In April, it announced its “Back on Track” plan, which was designed to create a safe working environment when its operations restarted. Developed with a group of virologists and experts, the project involves voluntary Covid-19 screening tests for all its 4,000 employees as well as their cohabiting family members, as well as for the staff of suppliers working at the company.
As part of the project, each worker will also be offered the opportunity to use an app to receive medical support in monitoring the symptoms of the coronavirus. To enhance contact tracing, the app will also be utilised to track the contacts of those involved in the initiative. Ferrari said it will share the results of the project with regional authorities.
The automaker said it will also provide a health and psychological assistance service to its staff, stating that any employee who tests positive for Covid-19 will receive special free insurance cover as well as accommodation suitable for self-isolation, with medical and nursing support at home, along with the support of medical equipment.
Despite the plant closures, the company found a way to keep busy last month – it began producing respirator valves and fittings at its Maranello plant, repurposing its car prototype department to produce the thermoplastic components using additive manufacturing technology. These parts were used to transform snorkel masks into emergency protective masks.
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Europe should have listen to so many “experts” here in PaulTan that was slamming the Government for reopening Malaysia. Their Governments and EU as well must be as incompetent as PN ministers which does mean our PN ministers are now world class calibers.
Did you know it’s easier to push a car by pushing the tyre rather than the body?