Key Challenges and Opportunities, March 16, 2020 | Todd Hilde, CEO/Owner Satellite Industries

…Together…Key Challenges and Opportunities in a time of crisis. Insights from Todd Hilde CEO/Owner

Dear Valued Customers,

We are all facing unprecedented times… that is for sure. I would like to take the opportunity in this communication to discuss the challenges and opportunities we are all facing in the portable sanitation industry and share some of the many insights we are learning on a daily basis. We are constantly assessing actions needed immediately in front of us, as well as thinking of what the long-term impact will be on our industry. We all have much to share with each other, and I hope that we all band together to get through these times.

Our industry has been serving disasters, both regionally and nationally, since the time of our inception. We are veterans of disasters, yet I think we will all agree that this one is very different than what we are used to. Regardless, we are in the sanitation business and together our industry has so much to offer in products and services to fight this virus at the street level in communities across the globe.

On one hand, events are being cancelled around the globe which will certainly cause major hardship for our industry. On the other hand, there are opportunities popping up daily to serve communities and our regular customers. As an industry, it is time to get out into our communities (via telephone of course) and find out where we can redeploy our equipment to help fight the spread of this virus with all of our sanitation products.

Here is a list of new opportunities we are seeing:

• As new testing and treatment centers are being envisioned and deployed, there are opportunities to provide sanitation to these sites.
• There is a major need for handwashing everywhere; our best lead times are on interior handwash units such as our Slimmate.
• Increased cleaning and sanitizing of units on route will be needed.
• Use of free-standing sink stations has been exploding; we have longer lead times on these items. We are working hard to improve this.
• Free standing hand sanitizer stations have been in high demand, we are quickly ramping up our supply capabilities. Our lead times will go down drastically when new tools are complete in 4 weeks.

One thing I feel certain about is that as a result of this global pandemic event, handwashing / hand sanitizing culture around the world will fundamentally change. People will require more access to handwashing facilities, new innovations in mobile hand cleansing will be developed, and customers of portable toilets will require adequate access to handwashing. It may also change the requirements of our service trucks to carry more potable water. It is hard to predict exactly what is to come, but I do feel that our industry will carry a large responsibility in being the innovator of these hand cleaning options.

These are just some of the potential opportunities in front of us that could be leveraged to offset some losses in the traditional single unit deployment, as events and gatherings are cancelled.

Our industry carries a great responsibility in playing a critical role in containing the spread of germs and disease, and I hope that through active cooperation and leadership of our collective companies we can weather these uncertain times together and create new opportunities for our industry going forward.

At Satellite we are working hard to keep our doors open and our employees safe. We will do everything in our power to continue serving you. All employees know that they do not need to worry about their paycheck if they require quarantine and/or medical attention due to a COVID-19 diagnosis. We provide everyone with supportive encouragement, so that they can remove themselves from the environment without financial or moral concern.

As much as we are able, products will keep being made and shipping out the door to you. I would, however, point out that because similar products are in demand right now, the supply chain is heavily taxed and we along with every other supplier are experiencing longer than normal lead times. I thank you in advance for patience in this matter.

As the next days, weeks and months unfold, we will learn more about the impact of this pandemic event on our industry. I will be sure to keep communication flowing with ideas and thoughts on how we can continue working together to keep our industry healthy.

Best regards,

Todd Hilde
CEO/Owner
Satellite Industries, Inc

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