In a company statement, officials said they began to ramp up engineering labs and logistics April 16 and will start ramping up fabrication and assembly operations April 22. Daikin first announced it was temporarily suspending operations at the plant April 2 in an effort to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which was confirmed to have infected two plant employees.
"While our work is essential, the health and safety of our employees is always our main focus," officials wrote in a statement.
According to the release, the majority of Daikin's hourly employees, as well as some salaried employees, were furloughed during the shutdown. Some employees will remain furloughed through the April 29 full reopening date, meaning they remain employees of the company but will not be paid.
Prior to the plant's closure, Daikin officials announced a number of initiatives the company was taking on to prevent the spread of the virus, including staggered start times, structural changes to maximize social distancing, the provision of masks for all employees who want them and temperature checks for all employees.
"We will continue to do everything we can to minimize the impact of this pandemic on our employees, our customers, our suppliers and our company," officials wrote in the statement.
