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Kimberly-Clark Boosts Production To Meet Demand During Coronavirus Pandemic

CEO: Sales Of Household Products Up 13 Percent From Same Time Last Year

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Jesus Padron wears a protective mask as he stocks shelves with toilet paper at the Presidente Supermarket
Jesus Padron wears a protective mask as he stocks shelves with toilet paper at the Presidente Supermarket during the new coronavirus pandemic, Tuesday, April 21, 2020, in Hialeah, Fla. All employees are required to wear masks which are provided by the company. Lynne Sladky/AP Photo

Kimberly-Clark Corp. has ramped up production of toilet paper and other household goods in response to a spike in demand during the coronavirus pandemic.

CEO Mike Hsu said during a quarterly earnings call Wednesday the company saw first-quarter sales — January through March — of consumer tissue worth $1.7 billion, up 13 percent from the same period in 2019.

“Our early data shows that office use is down about 80 percent,” Hsu said. “Travel and lodging (is) significantly down. I think hotel occupancy, the latest data we saw, we’re at 21 percent of capacity. And amazingly, seated restaurant traffic was down 100 percent globally.”

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But sales to workplaces and businesses have seen large drops.

Hsu said while the company has ramped up production, it’s also taking new steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among workers. The company is boosting efforts to sanitize manufacturing facilities and is using social distancing and work-from-home policies for employees.

Manufacturing workers are also getting bonuses.

“That includes implementing extensive sanitization, quarantine and social distance protocols in our manufacturing facilities, work-from-home policies, and of course travel restrictions,” Hsu said. “We’re also recognizing our manufacturing employees with well-deserved bonuses in appreciation of their efforts.”

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