Delivering critical PP gear at a critical time

We’re all living through what is arguably the most challenging decade in recent history – and it’s not over yet. One Kiwi company that has really stepped up during the COVID-19 pandemic is Bastion, providers of barrier protection solutions.

As their name suggests, Bastion offers a line of defence against viruses like COVID-19, with a quality range of PP solutions including disposable and industrial clothing, gloves and janitorial solutions – and they’ve never been busier.

“At Bastion Pacific, we’ve always been proud of our people and the outstanding work they do,” says General Manager, Hank Anderson. “But never more so than in the past 18 months, given the vital contribution they’ve made towards keeping our ‘team of 5 million’ safe.”

Since the pandemic first impacted New Zealand in early 2020, Bastion Pacific has been deemed an ‘essential service’ – and, as you’d expect, the demand for their PP (personal protection gear) has ramped up significantly. “While most businesses have shut during lockdowns, we’ve continued working to deliver our critical PP products to our customers on the frontline – fast, safely and efficiently,” says Hank.

Among other products, the company supplies disposable nitrile gloves to staff in hospitals and DHBs, vinyl gloves to workers in aged care facilities, and disposable PP gear to the NZ Police. As you can imagine, that has involved working some long hours, “but the team was ready and willing to step up to the challenge”, Hank says.

Outstanding customer service comes first

To maintain the high level of service required, Bastion’s dedicated customer service team has operating targets of answering all incoming calls within 60 seconds, responding to customer email queries within two hours, and same-day dispatch from their HQ in Whanganui if an order is received before 3.30pm. Not easy in the midst of a pandemic, but Hank says the team has really stepped up.

“We’ve endeavoured to maintain those targets during the pandemic, even during high-demand spikes,” says Hank. “Our team has also been flexible in responding to changing alert levels, and communicating the impact of this to our customers.”

Ensuring stock is available at all times

As we’ve seen around the world, one of the biggest challenges of COVID-19 is the disruption to global supply chains. Fortunately, Bastion was well positioned to meet these challenges, with strategically located suppliers around the country and a commitment to maintaining high stock levels.

“Meeting the increased demand in the healthcare and aged care sectors, and keeping people safe and well has always been our goal,” says Hank. “And right now, it’s crucial that we can continue to deliver on that.”

High quality standards, always

Quality assurance becomes even more critical in response to the pandemic – when PP gear is literally protecting lives. Naturally, this has always been a priority for Bastion: they only use suppliers who have the required Quality Standard Certificates. What’s more, all products are manufactured with strict quality control measures in place and are third-party audited.

“We engage an independent agent to inspect and test each shipment following production and prior to dispatch,” says Hank. “Quality levels, tensile strength, thickness and other measures are thoroughly tested.”

The safety equipment experts

More than ever, multiple industries are looking for expertise they can trust, including healthcare, food services and cleaning solutions providers. As part of their service, the Bastion team provides technical guidance and expert advice to customers across a range of industries.

“During the first lockdown, our sales team proactively reached out to customers who regularly purchased face masks, to help them make accurate projections around stock requirements. This resulted in a special shipment being brought in for these customers,” explains Hank.

“We continue to liaise with suppliers to get the right products into the country quickly – and ensure they’re available to protect our frontline workers,” he says. “They’re doing an incredible job saving the lives of New Zealanders, and we’re glad to have played a pivotal role in supporting them to do this.”

Date Added: Wednesday, 6th October 2021