INX International Ink Co. continues to work hard to ensure that the supply of its products to customers remains constant and secure while the company manages through the global COVID-19 coronavirus situation.

“Over these last several weeks, we continue to diligently monitor the extent of COVID-19 around the world,” says John Hrdlick, president and CEO of INX International. “The potential supply chain impact of this pandemic is immense and unpredictable. Nonetheless, we stay committed to proactively manage our supply chain and monitor the labor situation. We are also in constant communication with our suppliers and are monitoring local and international logistics and freight forwarders, especially in high-risk areas around the globe.”

INX is continually monitoring the availability of raw materials and the current inventory at all of its facilities, including on-hand, in-transit and other order quantities. Currently, INX has not experienced serious inventory issues and remains committed to providing the level of service customers are accustomed to. INX has numerous manufacturing sites around the world and is working together to maintain manufactured volumes in order to meet customer demands.

“Our corporate purchasing and supply sourcing teams are continuously reviewing inventory levels and working with suppliers to always have up-to-date material status data,” continues Hrdlick. “As specific questions about a customer’s material and inventory levels arise, we ask that they direct those questions to your regional supply chain contact for a more detailed response.”

Considering the urgency around the coronavirus and the potential supply chain impact, INX International has developed a response with some frequently asked questions to keep customers informed of the situation.

Q. Do you source any materials from China or other high-risk regions of the world?
With global manufacturing in place, we source materials from all over the world. We are proactively communicating with suppliers in China to secure supply and understand inventory levels. All of our vendors’ facilities are operational, and we continue to manage orders with them and make sure the logistics processes are in place to ship on time and avoid a supply disruption.

Q. Is there a possibility raw material used from China can be contaminated?
It is our understanding that in the rare chance raw materials were to be contaminated by the virus, it is not active after it has been on the surface for several hours. Our raw materials from China are shipped via ocean freight, which takes two months for delivery. Based on this information, we are confident saying our raw materials are free of virus.

Q. Have you assessed the risk of disruption to the coronavirus outbreak?
The spread of the coronavirus is unpredictable and global at this point. We manage risk on a regular basis and have even heightened the awareness as the outbreak is very fluid and continues to spread. All of our major manufacturing locations maintain Emergency Contingency Plans that address all potential disruptions that might occur. We are constantly assessing our global capabilities and capacities in order to meet customer demands in the event other regions have disruptions in their manufacturing.

Q. Do you anticipate any disruption to supply or any delay to supply?
At this point in time we remain confident in our ability to maintain supply to our customers as we have done in the past. The situation can change at any time, so it remains critical that we continue to manage our supply chain in an effective manner. We engage in constant, daily communication with our global supply base.

Q. What specific materials do you have that come from China and how much inventory do you have?
Our raw materials from China are mainly various pigments and photoinitiators. The vendors involved maintain inventory in U.S. warehouses of 60-90 days. In addition, our facilities increased inventories to 90 days or more when the crisis started. Since then all China vendors reopened their factories and the pipeline is being filled. We remain confident at this time that we will be able to fulfill customer needs. For specific questions about your materials, please follow up with your regional supply chain contact.

Q. What are you doing for the safety and well-being of your customers, business partners and employees?
INX management teams are continually monitoring the situation and are committed to take appropriate actions for the safety of our employees, vendors, suppliers and others dealing with our products or personnel. Consequently, we have instituted travel, meeting, delivery and shipment policies to best address concerns based on our current knowledge. These policies include company-wide workplace prevention initiatives, travel and meeting restrictions, and educational initiatives. Rules and laws may differ in countries outside the U.S., and we are working with all our worldwide personnel to assure best practices and compliance everywhere.