COVID-19 Coronavirus Information

MKS has been closely monitoring and responding to the COVID-19 outbreak around the world. As a company with global operations, our foremost concern is the safety of our employees and partners, taking every precaution available to us. We are open for business and as always, we are here for you.

We have moved quickly to protect our stakeholders, putting preventive measures in place, while sustaining our critical business activities. Our employees and suppliers have responded and pulled together to reduce the risk of the virus spreading. We continue to manufacture and secure deliveries allowing us to serve our customers. We are taking specific measures at worldwide to limit the coronavirus risk.


A team of leaders lead by John T.C. Lee, our CEO, meet daily to review the impact the virus has on our employees, customers and suppliers globally. Our cross-functional team is monitoring the COVID-19 situation and is instituting preparations and guidelines that meet or exceed local and Federal government requirements.

Our first priority and concern is for employees, their families, employees of our valued customers and suppliers and the health and safety of our communities. Our goal is to maintain the continuity of our business and our customers’ and suppliers’ businesses. MKS has implemented significant changes in our operations to minimize the impact of COVID-19.

Increased Communications

We are communicating frequently with employees through email, a dedicated COVID-19 intranet and virtual team meetings. Our internal COVID-19 site contains our current policies, Government and Agency guidelines, prevention measures, facility impacts, additional IT support for remote work and general rules for managing the COVID-19 situation.

In addition, we have implemented an online process to address questions from our employees daily. This expedited response is necessary to understand and respond to our employees in a timely manner. Our HR teams are fully engaged with all sites and when necessary, will implement policies on self-quarantine, protective gear and facilitating site process changes for the health and safety of our employees.

Manufacturing Facilities

Our Manufacturing Facility leaders have implemented measures to minimize the exposure levels in the workplace. Depending on the nature of the site, these measures include:
 

  • Staggered shifts
  • Staggered breaks and lunchroom/cafeteria use
  • Creating physical divisions, where possible
  • Creating “work zones” to isolate sub-teams within production
  • Hand cleaning stations upon entry to areas
  • Cleaning workstations after shifts
  • Restrict all non-business critical visitors to production sites
  • Deep cleaning of facilities and workstations

 

Non-Manufacturing Facilities

Remote Work and Changes to Facility Practices

All global employees who can perform their jobs remotely are encouraged to do so. This will reduce potential exposure for both remote workers and employees who need to continue to work in our facilities. Eliminating unnecessary contact of our factory employees is key to maintaining our operations and supply continuity for our customers. This is a company-wide measure in which the Executive team is working remotely.

Field Applications

Field application teams are minimizing contact with customers during this period of uncertainty. For situations critical to business continuity, we have a local escalation process to support customers most critical needs. All field personnel are required to comply with facility health and safety protocols and must utilize appropriate personal protective equipment before entering a customer facility.

Additional Measures & References

We continue to remind employees:
 

  • Employees experiencing cold or flu symptoms should take care and plan to fully recover at home by using sick time or accrued time off
  • Employees are encouraged to continue with the recommended precautions normally given during flu season: wash hands, avoid contact with sick people, use hand sanitizer, etc.
  • Practice “social distancing” by: Using conference calls and web meetings instead of live meetings where possible and limiting in-person meetings
  • keeping ample space between you and other people and avoiding large public gatherings
  • Continue to follow our travel bans and post-travel quarantine requirements
  • Continue to follow our Visitor Policy, which requires pre-screening of all visitors before coming to an MKS Facility

 

Our employees and suppliers continue to work to maintain production support amidst this very challenging issue. Our ability to sustain production and delivery capabilities during this time is a testament to the commitment of our employees, and the strength of our manufacturing and supply chain operations.

We deeply appreciate the dedication and support of our employees, customers and suppliers during this difficult time.