[This article will be updated as needed.]
Update: June 2nd 2020 | 09:00 am CEST
Short-time work ends earlier than planned
Spreadshirt will end the agreed short-time work at the Leipzig headquarters on June 1, 2020.
“Spreadshirt is experiencing a big drop in large orders as all social events and happenings have been cancelled. However, after the first month the gift and customized product orders boomed, and we’ve already seen over 60% more orders. We will end short-time work at our Leipzig headquarters earlier than initially planned in order to master the current crisis with our full commitment and to put our plans for 2020 into practice,” comments Spreadshirt CEO Philip Rooke.
Safety and health of the team remain top priorities, therefore the management board continues to advise all employees whose roles allow it to work from home.
Spreadshirt offices will be open. In order to comply with all distance and hygiene rules appropriate measures have been put in place over the last weeks. At the headquarters this starts with fewer seats in meeting rooms and in the cafeterias, continues with markings in front of the coffee machines, additional hand disinfection dispensers and signs with hygiene tips, to name just a few examples. These and other rules have been already in place at the five production sites since day 1 and will be adapted at any time if necessary.
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Update: April 3rd 2020 | 11:30 am CEST
Spreadshirt enacts short-time work
Due to the strong decrease in demand caused by Covid-19 and the resulting reduced order volume Spreadshirt has agreed short-time work with the employees at the Leipzig headquarters from April 1, 2020 onwoards. This measure is initially planned until the end of the year.
In Germany, short-time work is a well-proven official tool when companies want to retain their skilled workers despite difficult economic times. Employees agree to accept a reduction in working time and pay with the government making up some of their lost income.
“Our primary goal is to secure jobs and protect the health of our employees,” emphasizes Spreadshirt CEO Philip Rooke. “I am incredibly impressed with the team’s commitment and mutual support in these difficult times. Each Spreadster faces up to unprecedented challenges at work and in private life with great professionalism and positive energy. Together we are working hard to overcome the crisis and return to full strength as soon as Covid-19 is over”.
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Update: March 24th 2020 | 1:30 pm CEST
Reopening of both US Production Facilities
On March 24th 2020, Spreadshirt is reopening both U.S. production facilities. After legal clarification by the Nevada and Pennsylvania governments, we are now able to reopen our facilities by enacting strict health and safety guidelines.
For Spreadshirt, the safety and health of our employees is paramount. By keeping our production employees at a distance of 6 feet from one another, cleaning surfaces at the beginning and end of shifts, and promoting hand washing, we are able to keep our employees safe and resume our production of custom-printed products for our customers. Here is the full list of safety guidelines from the CDC that we will follow.
Delivery Times Delayed Slightly – Customer Service Operational Worldwide
Spreadshirt is taking orders again from the .com, .ca and .com.au websites. However, a small delivery delay of around 2 days is to be expected.
Spreadshirt´s customer service is operational worldwide. The Spreadshirt customer service team is happy to help and will answer questions by phone and email: https://www.spreadshirt.com/contact-C1336
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Update: March 21st 2020, 8:30 pm CEST
Closure of 2nd US Production Facility as Ordered
Effective from March 21st, 2020, Spreadshirt has closed its US production facility in Henderson, NV until April 16th. Governor Steve Sisolak ordered all nonessential businesses in Nevada to close their physical locations to slow the spread of Covid-19. More information can be found in the official press release from the Governor’s office.
40 production employees are affected by this measure. Spreadshirt is investigating how to best support them during this very difficult time.
Already on March 19th, 2020, Spreadshirt was ordered by the Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Wolf to shut down the Greensburg, PA facility. For further details please see “Update: March 20th 2020 | 9:00pm CEST” below.
While the closure of the two US production facilities protects our production employees and their communities, it also means that Spreadshirt cannot produce and ship orders made on our .com, .ca and .com.au websites until those mandates are lifted. Customers visiting those websites are informed that they cannot place an order at this time. As soon as at least one of our US production facilities is allowed to reopen, Spreadshirt will start taking orders again.
Spreadshirt’s three European production sites in Germany, Czech Republic and Poland will continue to operate and produce custom printed products for all European markets. In some cases, however, there are delivery delays of up to two to three days due to border restrictions and changes in the prioritization of the carriers.
Spreadshirt’s US and EU customer service is happy to help and answer questions by phone or email: +1 800 381 0815 | service@spreadshirt.com | https://www.spreadshirt.com/contact-C1336
We’re confident that we can get through this together and appreciate your patience.
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Update: March 20th 2020, 9:00 pm CEST
Closure of Greensburg, PA Production Facility as Ordered
Effective from March 19th, 2020, 8 p.m. local time, Spreadshirt has closed its US production facility in Greensburg, PA until further notice. Governor Tom Wolf ordered all non-life-sustaining businesses in Pennsylvania to close their physical locations to slow the spread of Covid-19. More information can be found on the official Pennsylvania Government Website.
49 production employees are affected by this measure. Spreadshirt is investigating how to best support them. All office employees whose roles allow it have already moved to remote working before March 19th, 2020. This step has been thoroughly prepared to guarantee a smooth transition and to ensure services for our customers and partners.
In this situation, Spreadshirt benefits from its well-established international set-up with two production sites in the U.S. (Pennsylvania and Nevada), three production sites in Europe (Germany, Czech Republic, Poland) and its headquarters in Germany. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, our planning has focused on keeping our employees safe and minimizing the potential impact on our processes and services to protect our business. This foresightful strategy is paying off: The remaining four production sites are operating efficiently. Our second US production facility in Henderson, NV will seamlessly take over production capacities from the Greensburg, PA facility. Customer service is fully operational.
It is to be expected that delivery will take two to four days longer due to the closure of our production facility in Pennsylvania.
We kindly ask our customers and partners for their patience and understanding that custom printed products are currently taking a few days longer than usual. The global Spreadshirt team is working tirelessly on solutions.
The Spreadshirt customer service is happy to help and answer questions by phone or email: +1 800 381 0815 | service@spreadshirt.com | https://www.spreadshirt.com/contact-C1336
Everyone has a responsibility to reduce the impact of the virus. Spreadshirt is embracing the responsibility and taking necessary actions. We remain alert and ready to adapt our measures in the light of new developments.
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Update: March 18th 2020 | 9:00 pm CEST
Employees Whose Roles Allow it Moving to Remote Working
For Spreadshirt, the safety and health of our teams is paramount. From today (March 18th 2020) onwards, the number of colleagues working at Spreadshirt headquarters and other locations will be reduced to a minimum. All employees whose roles allow it will move to remote working. This step has been thoroughly prepared to guarantee a smooth transition and to ensure all the usual services continue for our customers and partners.
The few Spreadsters who continue to work in the office will be separated as far as possible. They will coordinate their activities by telephone or digitally. In general, appointments, meetings and other arrangements will be made via digital communication channels or by telephone to minimise personal contact.
Spreadshirt will remain open for business, continue to be reliably available and will process all inquiries and orders as quickly as possible.
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March 16th 2020 | 3:30pm CEST
Spreadshirt Update Regarding Covid-19
As we all watch closely for developments around Covid-19, we would like to share an update on how Spreadshirt is responding. The health and wellbeing of our community is our number one priority, from our dedicated team, partners and customers to our suppliers.
With this in mind, we can reassure our customers and partners that Spreadshirt remains operational and ready to serve. We are taking steps to ensure we can continue to meet the needs of our customers and partners in a secure and reliable manner. We have also implemented measures internally to ensure the safety of our employees.
Spreadshirt CEO Philip Rooke
Measures taken by Spreadshirt internally
The safety of our teams is paramount. Spreadshirt has taken all necessary measures internally to protect employees and to prevent the virus from spreading. These include all the measures that public health authorities recommend, such as extra attention to hygiene and alertness to symptoms. Since March 3rd we have also implemented travel restrictions. We have shut down all business travel and cancelled all of our planned events and appearances around the world. These measures are continuously being addressed in internal communication and in daily management.
No impact on services
Services for our partners and customers are not at risk. Diverse measures have been taken to safeguard continuity of our core processes – on-demand printing in our five production facilities worldwide. We have for instance introduced new shift hours with a time gap in between to reduce points of contact and to ensure thorough air exchange. Similar precautionary measures are in place for receiving and shipping. Drivers for example unpack the whole truck before employees take the goods from the ramps.
Spreadshirt is prepared to take operational measures in the event that one of our sites is specifically affected. These are aimed at limiting the consequences for the delivery of services and at least protecting other parts of our company. As of today, there are no problems at any of Spreadshirt’s five production sites or in our customer services.
Everyone has a responsibility to reduce the impact of the virus. Spreadshirt is embracing the responsibility and taking necessary actions. We remain alert and ready to adapt our measures in the light of new developments.
[This article will be updated as needed.]
