COVID-19 is throwing a wrench into the works of just about everything, but company officials say Zippo Manufacturing Co., W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co. and Northern Lights Candles are weathering the storm.
On Wednesday, the companies’ CEO and President Mark Paup said, “Like most businesses, we are seeing an impact on brick-and-mortar sales. Our ecommerce on Zippo.com, Amazon, and others remains strong. Our international business has been impacted; however, our business in Asia — more specifically China — is rebounding.”
China has been a strong market for Zippo for a number of years. And the lighter company has a presence in more than 160 countries and regions worldwide.
However, at the moment, travel has been halted for safety’s sake.
“Zippo, Case, and Northern Lights’ priority is the safety of our employees and our communities,” Paup explained. “And so, we have adopted a proactive plan of action that is in line with all CDC guidelines for preventing transmission of the COVID-19 virus.
“We halted all international and domestic business travel for our teams, and have postponed all company events, as well as customer, agency, and field office visits to Bradford for the time being.”
The Zippo/Case Museum and Visitors Center is closed until further notice as well.
“Our goal is to protect our employees and the community, while maintaining production so we can continue to meet orders on time, maintain our employment levels and continue to service our global customers,” Paup said. “The companies remain strong and healthy, orders continue to come in and we continue to have strong direct-to-consumer sales through our e-commerce platforms.”
Zippo’s Repair Center and Consumer Relations departments will stay open, he added, “as we need to continue to honor our warranties and respond to consumer inquiries.”
While the factories of Zippo and Case remain open, Paup said they are doing as much as possible to keep the facilities clean.
“We have implemented enhanced sanitation procedures of all workplaces and facilities, along with the most stringent social distancing procedures feasible,” Paup said. “We are assessing work-from-home options for relevant positions. Most importantly, we’re advising employees to stay home if they feel ill, or if they have been exposed to the virus.”
During this time of crisis, company officials said that internal communication is “of vital importance.”
“We are providing ongoing updates on the COVID-19 to employees through email, conference calls, small meetings, webinars, and facilities posting in an effort to be assured, everyone employed at Zippo, Case, and Northern Lights remain safe, healthy, and informed.”
