International. Johnson Controls shared a number of experiences it has had during Covid-19. Osvaldo San Martin, Vice President and General Manager, Solutions, Latin America, wrote the following note:
Covid-19 has dealt a very strong and unexpected blow to the world economy. Airlines have been the hardest hit, but other sectors such as leisure and tourism, distribution, textiles and construction, among many others around the world, have had to halt their operations overnight in response to border closures, curfews, quarantines and other government measures to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus as much as possible.
Despite this stagnation, hospitals, clinics, supermarket chains, pharmacies, data centers and telecommunications companies, to name a few essential establishments, are doubling down on efforts day by day so that the world's population remains healthy and enjoys a strange and more bearable daily life. To ensure this, Johnson Controls has walked hand in hand with many of these operations, supporting them every step of the way with the provision of essential products, services and personnel during the current pandemic.
One of the company's fastest responses to the crisis was precisely in Wuhan, where the virus was first detected in early December. When the Hubei provincial government called on Johnson Controls to support the start-up of two new hospitals in a couple of weeks, in just 45 minutes our China office responded that it was ready to help and, in less than 12 hours, mobilized its team to get down to work. The requested project was completed in eight days.
To highlight another example, the U.S. operation, considered a critically important manufacturer by the Department of Homeland Security, has been working with state and federal authorities to install HVAC equipment and other state-of-the-art hospital systems in hospitals and other interim health centers. It should be noted that HVAC systems are crucial to provide adequate ventilation in buildings and thus improve air quality, preventing the spread of disease.
In Latin America, the industrial refrigeration area has worked tirelessly to supply and maintain vital equipment for a renowned Argentine brewery that is currently donating wort to produce and supply alcohol gel to hospitals in the province of Buenos Aires. In Mexico, fixed thermal imaging cameras are being implemented in a multinational food and beverage company to measure the temperature of employees and visitors to ensure a safe working environment. In addition, the Chilean team is working in record time to launch a hospital that will serve about 700,000 people in the commune of Cerro Navia.
A couple of weeks ago your ADT operation received a thank you email from a pedestrian. The man mentioned that a few days ago he was walking through the streets of Santiago when suddenly a technical service truck stopped to offer help, emphasizing that they were there to serve the community. Although the pedestrian did not need anything, he sent us an emotional thanks since it was the first time in his life that "something of that nobility and humanity" happened to him.
Without being a client of the company, he wrote to the ADT directors that it was "a gesture that he would never forget", highlighting the work of a "first level staff". As happened with the pedestrian in Santiago, Johnson Controls is not only there to support the mission of its customers and business partners in these times of crisis. Now more than ever, it is vitally important to reach out to the general population to let them know that we are here and that we continue to help the global community enjoy health and well-being as we overcome this unprecedented pandemic.
