2020 has brought us some really defining moments. This year, perhaps more than ever, we have embraced the opportunities presented by difficult business and personal conditions and leveraged them to demonstrate our real selves. Our “Keep the Change” mindset will continue as we identify near- and long-term adjustments that will drive improvements in both our work culture and in our business performance.
Our dedicated employees across all our operating companies have responded to the global COVID-19 pandemic in character-revealing ways. I am proud of how our team has continued to demonstrate HBM’s values of Integrity, Relationships, and Results to deliver on our commitments. Our clear focus this year has continued to be on employee safety and health, delivering for our customers, and growing HBM.
The safety and health of our people remains our top priority as we navigate ongoing pandemic conditions. Our teams continue to adjust how we work in order to maintain a safe environment for everyone. Our operating company leaders and teams had to quickly pivot at the beginning of 2020 to respond to the initial shock of COVID-19. We focused on several core workstreams: safety (i.e., face coverings, social distancing, health monitoring), communications, and operational adjustments. Employees looked out for each other by taking personal responsibility to hold themselves – and each other – accountable for adhering to our new protocols and to our new ways of working.
Preserving business continuity and growth has been our other core focus. Our teams have responded to drastic shifts in customer needs, abrupt changes in the supply chain, operational disruption from quarantines both externally and internally, and ever-changing local orders and public health guidance. Through frequent communication and agile responsiveness, our teams did what was needed to ensure high-quality products were made and shipped on time, inventory was maintained, and production was planned to take care of our customers’ needs. Our Aerofil business even pivoted to produce hand sanitizer and disinfectants, and our HarperLove business ramped production levels as demand increased with at-home ordering driving our additive sales into corrugated boxes. Flexibility was clearly key in 2020!
Our operating results this year are remarkable considering where we anticipated we might have been back in the early spring. I am very proud of the efforts of our teams to take the actions that set us on a course for recovery and enabled us to finish the year strong. While the future does still hold uncertainty brought by the pandemic, global economic conditions, and the upcoming change in our country’s political landscape, I look forward to what 2021 will bring for our teams. Whatever is next, I know the people across HBM’s portfolio of companies will rise to the challenges and seize the opportunities that will drive our success.