A leading Fylde employer has signed up to the council’s SMART testing programme to keep staff who cannot work from home safe.
Trilanco, which is a specialist equine, pet and agricultural products wholesaler based at Mill Farm Sports Village in Wesham, was one of the first companies to agree to regular testing at one of four SMART testing sites across the borough.
The company employs 110 people with approximately half of them working at Trilanco’s Covid secure headquarters.
Employees who regularly attend the site, mostly in the warehousing facilities, are tested every Monday at the SMART testing centre located in the neighbouring AFC Fylde Education Centre.
David Lee, Chief Operating Officer at Trilanco, said: “We operate a Covid secure workplace but we are aware that asymptomatic infection is significant across the community.
“Being an early adopter of the SMART testing has really helped to improve staff morale and shows that our employees’ health and wellbeing is being given top priority.
“The reassurance that we haven’t got Covid in the team is huge especially for colleagues who are themselves in high risk groups or have family members that are higher risk.
“Smart testing is an important part of our Covid risk reduction approach, but we believe that the most effective risk reduction strategy is not to have staff on site if we can avoid it.”
Thanks to continuous investment in technology most of Trilanco’s office and sales staff have been working from home successfully.
For those on site, Trilanco’s Covid secure measures have included minimising risk in shared spaces by maintaining good social distancing behaviours, also handwashing and sanitising regularly.
The company has also encouraged colleagues in higher risk groups to work shift patterns which minimise their interactions with others.
David added: “Our teams working from home, as well as home schooling and going lockdown crazy, and those working on site everyday have been fabulous through all three lockdowns.
“It means that as a business we have stayed operational to support our customers who have been supplying farms, stables and the general public with animal medicines and everyday essentials throughout the pandemic. We have been supplying 500 customers every day on a next day basis.
“The levels of customer service we have continued to deliver have been exceptional and as a management team we can’t thank our teams enough.
“We know it hasn’t always been easy, but given the progress being made on the vaccination programme hopefully there is now light at the end of the tunnel!
“The “new normal” isn’t going to be the same but we are optimistic that as a business several of the changes we have made such as improved use of technology and some of the changes to our operating processes will help us grow and thrive in the future.”
Richard Hurt, Health Protection Practitioner at Fylde Borough Council, has led the project to get the four SMART testing centres up and running.
He said: “We are delighted that Trilanco has been one of the SMART testing early adopters, giving the staff and the management team the peace of mind that their team is not asymptomatically spreading the virus.
“Trilanco is doing everything possible to keep its people who can’t work from home safe. It means that they continue to operate successfully as a business and maintain their high levels of customer service.”
Fylde Borough Council’s SMART testing centres are:
- Monday – AFC Fylde Education Centre, Mill Farm, Kirkham
- Wednesday – St Cuthbert’s Church Hall, Church Road, Lytham
- Thursday – St Annes United Reformed Church, St George’s Road, St Annes
- Friday – Kirkham Community Centre, Mill Street, Kirkham
No appointment is necessary and the test is free of charge. It is recommended that attendees bring their smartphone and do not eat or drink 20 minutes prior to the test. Each of the testing centres is open from 9:30am – 4pm.
