The Vidrala Group launched an extraordinary support plan for around a thousand direct workers and service providers — and their families — following the bad weather that affected the Leiria district, with rain and winds exceeding 210 km/h and cuts to electricity, water, communications and transport in Marinha Grande.
The company, one of the largest local employers with 900 direct jobs and around 300 indirect jobs, says it has taken measures to guarantee access to essential goods and the safety of employees.
Examples of this are the free cafeteria that the company made available, the distribution of 13 thousand liters of drinking water and more than 500 kg of fruit, showers made available to employees’ families, the supply of diesel for vehicles and mental health support sessions, among other initiatives.
Vidrala also provided materials for temporary home repairs, such as thousands of meters of plastic film and six thousand tiles, and provided generators to restore essential municipal services.
Despite the damage, the company guarantees that contingency plans allowed it to maintain production in factories and guarantee deliveries to customers, minimizing the impact on the supply chain.
In Marinha Grande, where the group operates two units with an annual production of 2.6 billion bottles, the continuity of operations is relevant for the local economy and for the supply of packaging to the industrial sector.
Rui Santos, director of Vidrala’s factories in Portugal, says that this is “one of the most difficult moments in our history” and highlighting “the dedication” of the team that makes up the group to face the damage and difficulties caused by bad weather.
The company also claims to maintain contacts with local institutions and associations to coordinate additional support and volunteering actions, with a view to recovering the community in the short, medium and long term.
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