Pankaj Poddar, CEO, Cosmo Films shares with The Packman how his company has been affected by the current pandemic crisis and how they have adapted throughout this situation.
Mahan Hazarika: How is Cosmo Films affected by the current situation?
Pankaj Poddar: We have been more fortunate to not have as much disruption in our business as some others as we come under essential products.We are gradually ramping up our capacities in line with the demand.
Mahan Hazarika: How has your production been affected?
Pankaj Poddar: There were several challenges when we started production though many of them were gradually resolved. We are still facing some challenges including availability of transportation, availability of manpower due to fear factor, increasing stock, payment delays from customer and so on. Having said so, we are continuously ramping up our production.
Mahan Hazarika: How are you managing your supply chain?
Pankaj Poddar: We are keeping a daily track on the supply chain and helping customers and suppliers to restart their operations. In many cases, we are absorbing significantly higher transportation cost to ensure that customer is being supplied on timely basis.
Mahan Hazarika: How is your company adapting throughout this crisis?
Pankaj Poddar: We have taken several measures to ensure the safety of our employees by ensuring social distance, hygiene, disinfectant sprays, automation, avoiding paper wherever possible and so on. We are supporting all our stakeholders in whichever way we can whether providing special incentives to employees, making timely payments to suppliers, supporting society by providing food and hygiene materials on a regular basis and so on. We are also communicating on a regular basis with our employees to bring back their confidence.
Mahan Hazarika: Which plants of your company are currently active?
Pankaj Poddar: All our plants are running currently.
Mahan Hazarika: What action is Cosmo Films taking during this time to manage the crisis situation for employees and the organization?
Pankaj Poddar: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting unprecedented situation, the health and safety of our employees, their families, our suppliers, vendors and the larger ecosystem is of paramount importance for us. We have taken extreme measures at our plants and head office to maintain a healthy work environment. Employees are screened at the gate with electronic thermometers prior to entering the building. Masks and the use of sanitizers is a mandate. Social distancing norms are being followed at every step and employees having any type of sickness symptoms are being advised not to report to duty.
Our employees already had a medical insurance. We have now introduced term insurance for employees and medical insurance for contract labour.
Mahan Hazarika: What plans does Cosmo Films have for the near future, post lock-down?
Pankaj Poddar: As part of our R&D roadmap, we are working on several new technologies including intelligent packaging solutions, biodegradable materials and direct thermal printable films.
We are also in the process of setting up few new businesses in the coming future.