Got word that a local steel supplier is temporarily shut due to CV-19

MA-based steel supplier has temporarily shut due to a couple employees testing positive for the virus. Email went on to explain the cleaning and controls procedures that would be in place during the closing, and I would think there'll be changes in delivery methods when they reopen.

Has anyone else gotten notice of major suppliers having to do similar closing? Has anyone enacted an in-house CV-19 testing program or just going by "watch for symptoms" (which aren't always present)?

I use Yarde, Chapin, Admiral, EMJ, Alliant, Atlantic Stainless, Penn Steel, all going strong still. All updates I got were that they are all still operating and have plenty of TP.

Which one are you talking about? I wonder if I use them or not. I am only 40 min or so from you. We probably use the same vendors from time to time.

Milland said:

MA-based steel supplier has temporarily shut due to a couple employees testing positive for the virus. Email went on to explain the cleaning and controls procedures that would be in place during the closing, and I would think there'll be changes in delivery methods when they reopen.

Has anyone else gotten notice of major suppliers having to do similar closing? Has anyone enacted an in-house CV-19 testing program or just going by "watch for symptoms" (which aren't always present)?

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I'm not an "active shop". I DO "seed" email - Chinese sources included - to encourage incoming advertising ("genuine" not spam nor malware) to keep an eye on how the winds are blowing.

I'm seeing a major ramp-up in adverts from all manner of enterprises open for bizness, (or so they claim to be) offering special handling options, new services, favourable terms and "dating", and even assistance with working-in Government support options.

Facilities and hands may or may not be heavily impacted by the situation.

Hungry and competitive minds, OTOH, are running at a "combat speed" jockeying to be higher up in the pack, coming out of the woods.

Looks like the classical Montgomery-Wards // Sears-Roebuck saga, writ larger and wider.

2CW

DanASM said:

I use Yarde, Chapin, Admiral, EMJ, Alliant, Atlantic Stainless, Penn Steel, all going strong still. All updates I got were that they are all still operating and have plenty of TP.

Which one are you talking about? I wonder if I use them or not. I am only 40 min or so from you. We probably use the same vendors from time to time.

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Yes, we use a bunch of the same guys, although you're a much bigger buyer than my little R&D co.

It's Central Steel (Marlborough), I don't think they'll mind my copying their message here (it was a broadcast email):

"Dear Valued Central Steel Customer:

Please be advised that Central Steel was notified that two of our employees who worked in our warehouse have tested positive for COVID-19. These two employees happen to be roommates and that along with other information as to their travels points to the probability that they did not contract the COVID-19 while at Central Steel. The last day either of the infected employees worked in the warehouse was on Friday April 10, 2020 after a time that strict social distancing rules had been in effect in our warehouse and offices for over three weeks, therefore, limited their risk of exposing others at Central Steel. Both employees did not enter Central Steel offices and worked only in the warehouse.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the two families of the infected employees and we all pray for a for their speedy recovery from COVID-19.

As an immediate response to protect the health and safety of our workforce and customers we are notifying all employees and closing the warehouse/delivery operations for the rest of this week.

We are also taking the following steps:

1. Multi-Day Deep Cleaning - the warehouse and office workplace will be deep cleaned by professional cleaners including a full fumigation.

2. All employees who worked with and had possibly been exposed to the employee(s) infected will stay home and quarantine in self-isolation for 14 days and monitor their symptoms with their physician’s guidance.

3. Shipping of steel orders will be suspended until next Tuesday April 20th when drivers will continue practicing good distancing when making deliveries by continuing contactless deliveries.

4. Our sales staff many of which are working remotely will continue to take orders and price your steel.

5. When the warehouse reopens again next Monday, we will again continue to work within safe distancing guidelines.

6. All warehouse and office personnel will be checked for temperature upon arrival and given protective masks to further ensure their safety.

7. Picking up of teel orders at our location continues to be suspended until further notice.

Your health and safety and that our employees are our top priority. These are trying times for us all, and we are shere for you."

[Given the spelling errors and typos, this was likely written by someone in upper management working from home, not a PR person]

My preferred local steel supplier just re-opened today after a 2 week shutdown due to some employees testing positive. I wasn't in touch with them today, but when they closed the plan was to re-open delivery only at first iirc. The office has been closed to phone only orders for some time.

My local BMG Metals is still running, but delivery only, and the whole inside sales force is working from home.

ChanneLock in Meadville, pa closed for 2 weeks for the same reason, are reopening soon.
So you'll still be able to get your "Bloo Man Group" pliers.....

Maybe the steel supplier should have employed my "hole in the wall" idea eh ?

Kudos for them letting vendors know instead of finding out on their own.


The concern isn't so much the people who test positive or have symptoms as they should be smart enough to keep their distance and observe all safety protocols...my concern is the people who "know" they are not infected as they feel fine and haven't been around anyone that showed any signs of the virus.
Those people that "know" may not know and may be asymptomatic spreading pixie dust as they go...scary if you take the time to sit down and think about it.

SIM said:

my concern is the people who "know" they are not infected as they feel fine and haven't been around anyone that showed any signs of the virus.
Those people that "know" may not know and may be asymptomatic spreading pixie dust as they go...scary if you take the time to sit down and think about it.

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Exactly why not having access to fast testing is a real problem. I don't know why we (the USA) haven't put the emphasis on testing that other countries have, if nothing else it would allow us to start getting some businesses that have testing protocols back to full production.

It would also help prevent the shutdowns we're seeing from companies like the pork producer Smithfield.

["Amusingly", Smithfield has been Chinese-owned for a few years now]

Milland said:

Exactly why not having access to fast testing is a real problem. I don't know why we (the USA) haven't put the emphasis on testing that other countries have, if nothing else it would allow us to start getting some businesses that have testing protocols back to full production.

It would also help prevent the shutdowns we're seeing from companies like the pork producer Smithfield.

["Amusingly", Smithfield has been Chinese-owned for a few years now]

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No No... NO!

We need to use the test kits on the Brooklyn zoo's "lions & Tigers" instead....

Milland said:

Exactly why not having access to fast testing is a real problem. I don't know why we (the USA) haven't put the emphasis on testing that other countries have, if nothing else it would allow us to start getting some businesses that have testing protocols back to full production.

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Around here the symptomatic people aren't even able to get tested yet...unless they are older or have underlying conditions. I am assuming once we catch up on that front the testing of "others" will take place.

...although if the "others" are the ones filling your orders at take out places and making food deliveries.

Lousy situation all the way around with unubtanium answers at this time.

EMJ (Jorgensen) has been delivering here every Monday without interruption. Their driver helps the girls unload. So far nobody has masked up to take delivery but it's not real close quarters (two people per 12-foot bar, three people per 20-foot bar etc.). We have plenty of masks, maybe I should tell everybody to mask up for that. We already have the shipping room primed to mask up when the UPS or FedEx guy comes in. Wyoming finally had a Wuhan virus death yesterday. Elderly person with underlying issues, so probably statistically meaningless. Everybody in Walmart this morning was masked and there's a biiiig pump dispenser of hand sanitizer at the entrance. Obviously their supply chain has caught up with the shortages, bread aisle stuffed with every variety and no room to insert another loaf, same with produce. End cap with about 75 trays of ribeyes, a ton more than they would ordinarily have on hand. I didn't check the TP aisle but then we already hoarded enough earlier...

Sorry you guys in populated areas are affected much worse than we are. If you're not wearing masks it's probably a good idea to start. I saw a lot of home-stiched ones. Can't hurt. Maybe next flu season I'll start wearing one first.

My local Alro is still running, pickup process is restricted and delivery seems fine. Inside sales force is working from home.

Milland said:

Exactly why not having access to fast testing is a real problem. I don't know why we (the USA) haven't put the emphasis on testing that other countries have, if nothing else it would allow us to start getting some businesses that have testing protocols back to full production.

It would also help prevent the shutdowns we're seeing from companies like the pork producer Smithfield.

["Amusingly", Smithfield has been Chinese-owned for a few years now]

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Because there are some people that are in denial and don't want to admit that we have as much of a virus problem as we really do have. I think that's why we turned down testing kits from the WHO and have been slow to roll out tests of our own.

Just got an update from the same steel company - now it's four employees confirmed sick with CV-19. Probably means there's more to come.

Awful for them, but kudos for not trying to hide it.

Milland said:

Just got an update from the same steel company - now it's four employees confirmed sick with CV-19. Probably means there's more to come.

Awful for them, but kudos for not trying to hide it.

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That sucks for sure. I do know them and I recall needing them for something years ago but it looks like more structural steel than machining steels. My family grew up in Hudson/Marlborough before the highways were built and you could rip a dirt bike around town. Kind of like where we live now.

Another supplier I forgot to mention was Peterson Steel in Worcester. They used to have all kinds of steels then went to mainly structural steels for a while. I got a line card from them this year and saw they have cold drawn 12L14 and 1018 and such. I have been inside many times and they used to allow walk ins with no minimums. Maybe look into them if need be.

I'll shoehorn this story in here - small NH town (about 45 miles north of me) had being doing ok until their major job source, a division of a large German company making seals for automotive applications, had to shut down most of its operations due to slowing car sales.

‘This is going to kill small-town America’ | Boston.com

It's going to take a long time to come back from the economic and personal devastation left by this virus, and the mishandling of it on the Fed and State levels.

I really don't understand what y'all are so concerned about at this point?

Don't git steel from a warehouse that had someone sick?
Gunn'a disinfect a steel warehouse?
Leave it sit a cpl days and drive on. The bug doesn't live outside a host for long.

If you think that hunkering down until an immunization is going to werk, then you you are prepared to wait it out for a few months?
A few Years?
Possibly never? (Once this passes - there won't be much cause to $pend R&D on a bug that's ran it's course.)

I bet that many of you that are so concerned with getting it - will already test positive and you don't even know it.

I know of a few folks that haven't hardly gone out of the house in the last 3-4 weeks that have come up positive.

For Petey;s sakes, risk the cooty and git on with life...

As long as we git past the overflow stage at the hospitals - drive on and be done with it.
Let the elderly and sick hunker down while the rest of us git out immunity and save them.

This thing is all over the world.
It's not like we're gunna snuff it out!


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Think Snow Eh!
Ox

Ox said:

I really don't understand what y'all are so concerned about at this point?

Don't git steel from a warehouse that had someone sick?
Gunn'a disinfect a steel warehouse?
Leave it sit a cpl days and drive on. The bug doesn't live outside a host for long.

If you think that hunkering down until an immunization is going to werk, then you you are prepared to wait it out for a few months?
A few Years?
Possibly never?

I bet that many of you that are so concerned with getting it - will already test positive and you don't even know it.

I know of a few folks that haven't hardly gone out of the house in the last 3-4 weeks that have come up positive.

For Petey;s sakes, risk the cooty and git on with life...

As long as we git past the overflow stage at the hospitals - drive on and be done with it.
Let the elderly and sick hunker down while the rest of us git out immunity and save them.

This thing is all over the world.
It's not like we're gunna snuff it out!


-------------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

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As a 2 man shop with occasional day laborers (not my choice, people dont want to work unless they are broke, last week of the month) it is easy to stay away from people. I havent changed my life at all. I live in a small town in the woods though. I never liked being around lots of people. Lived in a city for 6 years when I was 17-24 and I just couldnt deal with traffic all the time. Everything just took so long to do. I did like restaurants open till midnight all over the place.

washing hands and overall cleanliness is a normal part of my life. Its part of being a responsible, respectable, healthy human.

I do bleach wipe the gas pump though. I never did that before.

Everyone I know who makes things for a living is still going strong and busier than ever. I wonder how many people will actually change career paths due to this. No art degrees here.

Mom told me a 90 year old lady at the nursing home in town died from covid. I laughed and asked how long she was there. a 90 year old who was put in a nursing home 2 years ago died (how shocking) they say she caught covid from a worker who just went to Florida. I told my mom that if she got a different type of flu no one would have batted an eye. Old people die, its what happens in case you fellas didnt know.

I guess it's a matter of whether you're a gambler. Since the virus is so contagious and it mostly seems to injure or kill the older folks, many have called for a herd thinning by just letting it run wild.

Does it change when it's your parents, who were only in their 60's who died? When a nursing home sees half their residents, and some of their staff dead within a month? When a Police Dept loses 20 or more of its cops due to CV-19? And many more out sick?

I dunno. I'm not that good a gambler. And at your age (somewhere around mine, I guess) perhaps you shouldn't be either. But as we see from the death tolls, being young is no guarantee. And to die from this virus is a particularly nasty way to go - but it's NBD?

And even if you survive, there's reports of organ and brain damage in some cases. Still just fine with you?

For survivors of severe COVID-19, beating the virus is just the beginning | Science | AAAS