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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