At Y&V we have successfully implemented Change Management in order to guarantee Operational Continuity in the markets in which we operate, despite the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a decisive impact on economic activities in Latin American countries.
The Operations Managements of the different regional headquarters implemented the actions required to operate remotely in a timely manner, in order to guarantee the service and the deliverables to our clients in the different regions.
This adaptation was facilitated by Y&V experience of more than 15 years in the execution of multi-site projects at a global level. This dynamic has allowed our Organization to develop a work philosophy, protocols and necessary skills over time, and additionally, to adapt a technological platform to make remote operation possible. Thus, at Y&V we take advantage of our technological and human resources regardless of their geographical location, in such a way that the different regions in which we operate are the equivalent of a floor of a large virtual headquarters that is permanently communicated with the others, thanks to the technological platform.
Another key aspect to achieve Operational Continuity was the experience of operations in previous years' events, in which, for different reasons, there were interruptions of essential services that forced some of our locations to work with our employees from their residences. The lessons learned in those events, allowed our staff to have the bandwidth required to work remotely, in addition to being skilled in the use of remote communication tools to conduct videoconferences, view and / or share information simultaneously (documentation, records, videos, photographs, etc.).
Perhaps the above may not be extraordinary in Engineering and Procurement projects, but the amazing thing is that at Y&V we have applied the same principle in Construction Projects. As an execution strategy, at the construction site we have the minimum human resources necessary for the development of the work and the rest of the activities are carried out remotely, we refer to engineering, procurement, planning, document control, administration, contracts, coordination of activities with partners and clients.
Essential for this process is to have the support of a state-of-the-art technological platform that guarantees us adequate bandwidth to give reliability of communications and data transmission; availability of IT personnel trained to resolve technological contingencies; use of communication tools such as Microsoft TEAMS to make videoconferences and share larger files, among others.
For activities that must necessarily be face-to-face, the Company implemented biosafety protocols to protect, above all, the safety of our staff and stakeholders. The biosafety protocols were prepared by our experts in Occupational Health and Safety (engineers and occupational doctors), adhering to the requirements demanded by the regulations of each locality and in accordance with the requirements of Emergency Plans established in the ISO 45001:2015 Standard.
Although work in a pandemic environment is something that could be considered an extraordinary event, the Company's experience in the implementation of Emergency plans and Safety Protocols applied in our buildings, allowed us to efficiently carry out the necessary adjustments, specific to COVID- 19.
As an organization specialized in Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) Projects, for Y&V “Safety is First”, as an essential duty in all its processes.