The 海角视频's largest luxury boat maker is expecting to be back in production by early May after having suspended work due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Princess Yachts is to begin a “phased” re-start at its five Plymouth factories after shutting down production on March 23 and putting 98% of its 3,000 employees on the Government’s coronavirus furlough scheme.
The manufacturer said up to 100 employees will start work again from April 20, and the remainder will be brought back “in increasing numbers” during the following fortnight.
The company said it has Government support for re-start production, and stressed some if its competitors are continuing to operate.
It also stressed it will be ensuring staff are kept protected, with safety arrangements being a key task for the first returnees to the factory floors. Shift pattern will also be changed to help ensure workers remain safe as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
The Government announced, on April 16, that the 海角视频 would remain in lockdown for another three weeks, and Princess Yachts said: “While we do not know when it will be time for a full restart of operations, we are tentatively planning for this to occur within the first weeks of May.
“This date may change, in either direction, as the situation evolves. At this point, furloughed staff will resume employment as the business undergoes a controlled and phased re-start.”
The firm said “phased” means it “will bring team members back into work in increasing numbers over a period of a couple of weeks, rather than all at once”.
Most Read
The firm added: “In order to prepare ourselves for full production, and in the spirit of a phased restart, we have asked a very small number of team members (fewer than 100) to return to work in the week commencing April 20.
“They will assist us in completing the installation and implementation of safety measures and start to work on boats in a distanced and safe way, so that we can make whatever alterations to our protocol are necessary to maximise the safety of the whole workforce when they return.
“Members of the management team will also attend sites to monitor progress. Some of our competitors already have restarted work in this way and we are benefiting from their experience.”
The manufacturer sent 98% of staff home and carried out a “controlled shutdown” in March after coming under increasing pressure from the workforce and public to cease operations.
But some of its competitors have continued production, the firm said, and other Plymouth plants, belonging to the likes of Wrigley, Kawasaki Precision Machinery and Rittal-CSM continued to operate.
Some workers at Babcock International Group’s Devonport Dockyard site were sent home but others have remained working on nuclear submarines.
Princess Yachts stressed that as a manufacturing company it is allowed to operate.
Don’t miss
The firm said: “Indeed today, the Government has been very specific that businesses such as Princess can and should return to work safely, and yet we have chosen to hold back until the worst of the current situation is over and we can minimise any safety risks.”
The company added: “Over the past weeks, the company has been working in partnership with the works committee to develop and implement measures to allow all of the workforce to operate in a safe environment.
“These preparations meet and exceed Government advice for social distancing and the correct use of PPE.
“Measures will include adjusting our manufacturing process by splitting shifts and moving to a five-day week pattern to enable proper social distancing, preparing areas with specific hygiene and sanitation measures, discontinuing the use of social spaces such as canteen areas, introducing more intensive cleaning regimes, and asking all employees to be vigilant with their own health, hygiene and awareness of COVID-19 symptoms.
How to contact William Telford and Business Live
Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
To contact William: Email: william.telford@reachplc.com - Phone: 01752 293116 - Mob: 07584 594052 - Twitter: - LinkedIn: - Facebook:
Stay in touch: BusinessLive newsletters have been re-designed to make them even better. We send morning bulletins straight to your inbox on the latest news, views and opinion in the South West. Get our breaking news alerts and weekly sector reviews too. Sign up now - it's free and it only takes a minute. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click .
And visit the Business Live South West LinkedIn page
“This is to ensure that the extensive safety protocol that we have designed is being followed and works well in practice.
“At all times, we will comply at a minimum with Government guidance about how we should work.”
The company added: “Over the course of the next week or so, we will be circulating an overview of the new safety protocols to all employees, in advance of returning to work. The key will be that we all take them seriously and follow them.
“We are working very closely with the works committee to ensure that the correct communication is in place to inform every employee both prior to resuming work as well as on-site with clear instructions on how to behave and operate within these new requirements.”