COVID-19: INTERVIEW WITH OLIVIER MARION, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF BÜHLER FOR NORTH AFRICA, CENTRAL AFRICA AND WEST AFRICA

“We are continuing our activity safely”

What is Bühler’s situation in the context of this health crisis?

Today, Bühler’s activity is continuing because it is linked to an essential sector: food. Our customers, producers of wheat flour, semolina and pasta, are seeing an increase in demand in these times of crisis. For the moment, and for Bühler in Morocco and in the region, our customers’ activity is rising, but given the health situation we have put arrangements in place for the safety of our teams.

How do you reconcile continuing work with the safety of your employees?

In Morocco, 80% of our employees are working from home and 20% are in the field or in the workshop. We have taken every precaution to guarantee their safety, in line with official recommendations. On site, our employees are equipped with the necessary protective equipment (gloves, masks…) and distancing measures are applied. We have also set up suitable transport to avoid the risk of contamination. To inform staff and ensure these measures are applied and adhered to, we have deployed various internal communication tools throughout the region: information notes, and live and online training sessions.

At the same time, we have informed our customers and made them aware of our capacity to support them. It is essential that everyone knows that we have put in place all the necessary means to stand by them, and that we are ready to work!

In your opinion, what is the positive side of this crisis?

This crisis is generating new ways of working. We are realising today that teleworking is a viable solution, after a certain period of adaptation. This unprecedented context has shaken up individuals around the world and within our group, and in both cases ideas are emerging. Within Bühler, some ideas born during this crisis will outlive it. I am thinking in particular of remote assistance: these are innovations that are coming into being, some of which have already been implemented.