Of all the lessons from COVID-19, one of the biggest is how our communities, our industries, and our world are the sum of their parts. People around the globe are stepping to make a difference, and those collective efforts have sparked incredible solutions and progress in addressing the toughest challenges we face today.

At Monument, we’re proud to contribute to this global effort, and we recently launched an “Above & Beyond” campaign for our employees. This campaign increases awareness on how our team members are stepping up in creative and inspiring ways to serve our customers, our communities, and our team members.

And since we believe in the ripple effect of sharing positive news, we’ve gathered some of our top wins to showcase how – each and every day – our amazing team members are supporting…

…Our Customers

 “‘Challenge Us’ is one of our favorite mottos, and we’re broadcasting that call-to-action to our customers even more today,” said Sandeep Goel, Vice President, Custom Manufacturing. “In this unprecedented environment, we are all stronger when we put our heads together to solve a challenge and find a solution – and we’re happy to provide support in whatever form needed, from our unique manufacturing capabilities to best practice sharing.”

In addition to raising the bar to meet ever-changing customer needs in this environment, the Monument team is continually seeking opportunities to support the industry. In April, for example, several Monument leaders participated on a virtual SOCMA panel to share best practices related to COVID-19 with colleagues from throughout the chemical manufacturing sector.

“We shared these lessons because we know everyone is facing similar challenges,” said Sandeep. “We’re thrilled by any opportunity to showcase best practices on everything from how we’re keeping our employees safe to the measures we’ve taken to boost production capabilities.”

…The Global Supply Chain and End-Use Consumers

Over the last two months, Monument has ramped up production of a variety of products that play a key role in combatting coronavirus infections, supporting patients and healthcare workers, and ensuring the supply of other essential goods.

The most prominent is isopropyl alcohol (IPA), a critically-needed ingredient in hand sanitizers and disinfectant cleaning products.

“We’re also exploring creative options for cleaning ethanol, which is an important component of disinfectants like sanitizer,” added Sandeep.

When global need spiked for masks and personal protection equipment (PPE), as well as for medical equipment, Monument boosted its production of polymers and other raw materials that enable our customers to make items like blood and IV bags, tubing, syringes, masks, and gowns.  The Monument team has also increased the supply of chemicals, which are used to manufacture electronic chips and circuit boards for medical devices, telecommunications equipment, computers, and other electronic devices.

And, of course, our specialty fuel additive production allows the logistics, shipping, and transportation sectors to play their essential role in getting key products where they need to be.

…Our Community

The Monument team recently contributed $40,000 to hunger-fighting organizations in communities where we operate. Our Houston, Baytown, Bayport, and Brandenburg teams have supported a range of local food distribution organizations, including two events where Houston-area employees volunteered to pack and distribute more than a thousand bags of grocery staples for local families.

The Monument Belgian team has focused their community efforts on education – to help local children and families through the challenges of closed schools. They recently donated 17 used laptops, including new software geared toward virtual educational tools, to families in need. They also provided family care packages as well as interactive children’s activities to promote both physical and mental well-being.

…Our Team Members

“One of our biggest wins is that despite the many distractions and changes related to COVID-19, we haven’t experienced a single reportable safety incident,” said Adam Pingel, Vice President, Manufacturing. “This is a true testament to how hard the team is working to keep each other safe during our current challenges.”

“The Monument team has flawlessly implemented proactive measures company-wide to reduce everyone’s exposure to the coronavirus,” Adam added. “Also, employees who are working remotely have been more productive than ever, keeping all of Monument continuing to operate effectively.”

And to ensure that the team stays safe – and to protect the reliability of our supply for customers – Monument has developed detailed emergency response plans to cover a broad range of scenarios.

…A Brighter Future!

“Like most companies, the Monument team is tackling challenges at a rapid pace and overcoming obstacles that no one would have envisioned before this crisis,” said Bill Grube Jr., President and Executive Vice President. “As a result, I believe that our team – as well as countless teams around the world – will become even more collaborative, more proactive, more creative, and more flexible than ever before, and this will serve us well long after this crisis ends.”

In the meantime, we invite all of our customers and partners to continue to “Challenge Us!” Every day is proof that rallying together lets us go “Above & Beyond” to solve our biggest challenges – and to provide a tangible difference for the industries, consumers, and communities we serve.