RV manufacturers in the Elkhart area will get some help from Sensata Technologies and its distribution representative, Future Sales, this week as many local employees begin returning to work.
Sensata recently purchased 20,000 disposable face masks to give to industry businesses planning to reopen this week under new safety protocols. The technology company reached out to key customers and other groups in the area that could benefit from some additional PPE, and it plans to distribute the gear as soon as possible.
Future Sales is coordinating delivery for around 16,000 of those masks going to local manufacturers in the sales company’s hometown of Elkhart, Indiana. Future Sales announced that Sensata received the PPE shipment on Wednesday, April 29.
OEMs including Keystone, Tiffin Motorhomes and Jayco will receive the masks beginning Friday, May 1 via next-day air delivery. Future Sales Marketing Specialist Courtney Harris said the list of OEMs receiving the gear also includes REV Group, Dynamax, Forest River and Thor Industries, among others still finalizing plans to receive the donation.
“We’re just trying to help as many places as we can,” Harris said.
Karl Westenfield, Sensata Director of Power Conversion Solutions, wrote a letter to each of the organizations receiving the masks this week.
“Given Sensata’s access to a global supply chain network, we have procured a limited quantity of 3-ply personal-grade disposable masks manufactured in an FDA and CE certified facility that we are distributing to our valued customers as a goodwill gesture to help safeguard your employees and their families,” Westenfield wrote. “Hopefully this will help bridge your needs until your normal supply chain can support your needs.”
Harris said Future Sales coordinated with local OEMs to determine their need and to ensure the masks would be utilized. Each OEM will receive up to 2,000 masks.
“We encourage them to only take as many masks as they need,” Harris said. “Everybody’s been super thankful for them, and people have been really upfront about whether they already have supplies or not.”
She said nearly 11,000 masks have already been claimed by local groups, and that Future Sales is still waiting to hear back from a few companies. Harris said Sensata will handle the dispersal of around 6,000 of the masks up front.
Sensata and Future Sales also contacted the Nappanee mayor’s office hoping to provide somewhere around 500 masks to the local Amish community and other families in town.
