The Case for Mass Notification in Chemical Manufacturing

Using a mass notification system like Regroup, chemical manufacturers can ensure strong communication and response to hazardous situations, production challenges and more.

Chemical manufacturing in North America has grown exponentially over the past several decades. It’s estimated that over 13,500 chemical manufacturing facilities operate in the United States alone, contributing over $550 billion dollars per year to the US economy and comprising roughly 15% of the US manufacturing economic sector.

Governed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) at a federal level and by professional regulation agencies at the state and local levels, chemical manufacturing companies have a long list of compliance issues to adhere to as a means of ensuring worker safety and mitigating environmental risks. And, even with the most stringent safety measures in effect, critical events such as severe weather, spills and production line outages can occur in almost any facility.

According to Deloitte, the COVID-19 crisis exposed gaps in chemical manufacturing supply chains and created disruptions in nearly every type of manufacturing worldwide. Such disruptions can dramatically impact a manufacturer’s ability to keep up with business and consumer demand. They can also result in higher prices for the end user. Deloitte reports that a higher adoption of advanced technologies is needed to keep up with demands while remaining competitive.

As part of a more technology-driven approach, chemical manufacturers should incorporate a mass notification system — as part of an overarching communication plan — for optimal reach during regular business and critical or emergency events.

Regroup Mass Notification has served clients in manufacturing for years. As a result, we recommend a communication plan that establishes clear objectives and that is clear and understandable to all members of the team. Our cloud-based mass notification system is as simple to use as email and can reach your entire organization (or selected segments) within moments, even when most cellular platforms are hobbled.

Applications for Mass Notification in Chemical Manufacturing

Chemical Hazards and Injury Prevention
Chemical spills and exposures can cause severe injuries to workers and, potentially, long-term health complications. A swift response is absolutely essential to contain threats and to address the immediate needs of those exposed.

A mass notification system like Regroup can tackle the task of sending a rapid alert to the entire network, or those in the immediate vicinity with geo-fencing technology. Regroup’s cloud-based platform delivers emergency alerts even when cellular services are inundated or electricity is out.

Regroup’s two-way communication also allows those on scene to communicate with safety managers to coordinate response to critical events and potential dangers. This helps ensure the safety of those in the area, and bolsters accountability for cleanup and other physical precautions.

Severe Weather
As we’ve seen with many types of manufacturing, severe weather (including hurricanes, tornadoes and winter storms) can force operations to shut down temporarily and with little notice. Using Regroup to send notifications of plant closings is far more effective than relying on more traditional methods like phone trees.

Since Regroup can deliver to mobile devices, text/SMS, landlines, emails, company intranets, social media and a number of other channels, you can be confident that your message is received by the entire network, or workers at specific locations. This helps to keep employees out of danger during weather events and informed when it’s time to start up operations again.

Production Interruptions and Supply Chain Challenges
For chemical manufacturing, production interruptions can create a domino effect of issues. Negative impacts on delivery times and contract obligations equal direct threats to profitability and the bottom line.

Additionally, disruptions in supply chain can be devastating to manufacturing and, in particular, chemical manufacturers. Accenture reports that 94% of Fortune 1000 companies experienced supply chain disruptions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and 55% planned to downgrade their growth outlooks as a result.

For chemical manufacturing companies to remain resilient, a mass notification system should be part of the overall communication strategy. This allows managers to immediately notify responsible teams of production interruptions, line outages, machine failures and more.

Regroup’s platform can also be used to reach out quickly to alternative and backup vendors when shortages in supply happen. By taking a broadcast approach, purchasing and operations professionals can quickly target suppliers for availability, pricing and delivery terms and receive responses faster than with telephone or email.

Mitigating Security Risks
Every manufacturing facility requires a diligent approach to on-site and network security. For chemical manufacturers, the need to keep employees, substances and networks secure can be a more intense undertaking. Because of potentially flammable or explosive raw materials, and the ever-growing threat of cyber attacks, security and IT team members need to be in constant contact.

Using Regroup Mass Notification can make security communications faster, more reliable and more discreet than traditional approaches. Superior to two-way radio communications, Regroup allows security personnel to include images or videos on each mobile alert. This can help establish proof, timelines and other evidence in the event of suspicious activity or persons.

In a case of a cyber attack, a well-informed and responsive team is crucial to protecting network assets, confidential information and mitigating the risks associated with ransomware attacks. Using Regroup’s pre-formatted message templates, administrators can send critical alerts — with or without access to company email — to specific team members. Responders can update stakeholders through Regroup’s two-way, real-time communication platform while addressing threats. Regroup delivers critical alerts and information without the need for access to corporate infrastructure or emails.

In Conclusion
It’s easy to recognize the need for a strong communication plan in chemical manufacturing. To address immediate response to exposures, alert others of closure due to weather, reduce failures in production or mitigate the risk of cyber attack, a mass notification system like Regroup is critical to success.

Used as an everyday messaging and planned notification tool, Regroup can help chemical manufacturers stay resilient and productive. As an emergency notification tool Regroup can save lives, reduce the threat of injury and keep workforces safe and informed — on- and off-site.

Your Next Steps
We invite you to schedule a one-on-one demo of the Regroup Mass Notification platform today. You’ll see all the ways Regroup can be used for daily operations, special communications and emergency alerting. To keep your entire team safe and informed, there is no name more trusted than Regroup Mass Notification.