Metra Supports Local Businesses in Pursuit of PPE

Masks, hand sanitizer and electrostatic sprayers have become as crucial to offering train service as wheels, fuel and seats during the coronavirus pandemic. At Metra, a team of employees are taking extraordinary measures to ensure our employees are equipped with these new necessities, and helping to support local businesses in the process. 

Metra’s materials team began bolstering the stock of items already available to Metra crews and searching for alternate sources of those items in late February, said Director of Materials and Stores Frank Fischer. Items such as hand sanitizer, masks, disinfectant spray, gloves and soap rose to the top of the team’s shopping list in order to keep employees and customers safe. 

“We pinpointed a handful of items that we absolutely needed to buy,” Fischer said. “We could not put people on trains if we did not have these supplies; these are critical items that allow us to serve the essential workers riding our trains.” 

That need was unprecedented. Metra typically issues employees 5,000 masks a year; it issued more than 16,000 in one month alone this year. Long hours and creative sourcing have prevented any shortages in these critical supplies. The team has ordered more than 382,500 bottles of hand sanitizer, 35,000 containers of disinfectant wipes, 20,000 bottles of disinfectant,  86,000 masks, and 579,000 pairs of protective gloves. 

Supporting Small Business 

In its search for local alternative vendors who could bridge some of the gaps in the supply chain, the Metra team found NorthCape, a patio furniture company that has repurposed its Alsip facility to make tightly woven and washable cloth face coverings for the medical community and other essential workers. 

The company had been on the verge of having to cease portions of its operation when the idea to pivot to making masks for healthcare workers emerged, said President and co-owner Tom Murray. One of NorthCape’s other owners sits on the board of a hospital in New Jersey and had heard from nurses there about the troubling lack of PPE. He approached his partners at NorthCape with the idea on a Thursday and they had produced and sent their first sample to the hospital by Saturday. They then were quickly producing and distributing masks across the country. 

Metra ordered 5,000 masks from NorthCape for its employees in early March. 

Making masks for essential employees at healthcare facilities, landscaping companies and Metra allowed NorthCape to not only keep 100 percent of its Alsip operational employees working but increase that staff by 10 percent. 

“More than 80 people have been able to continue working because of orders from Metra and others,” Murray said. “This project saved us.” 

These masks are being distributed throughout Metra’s work locations so that every Metra employee has access to one. All employees are required to wear masks when they cannot maintain a six-foot distance from their co-workers as mandated by Gov. Pritzker’s Executive Order No. 32. 

Continuing the Pursuit

In addition to masks, hand sanitizer has been in high demand since the onset of COVID-19, with many vendors prioritizing healthcare facilities for distribution. Fischer and his team devoted extra hours to finding alternate vendors, and were able to award a contract to Harvey-based Summit Laboratories for more than 256,000 bottles. Summit is not only a local source but is also a certified Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firm. Because of this early win, Metra was able to give away hand sanitizer to its customers at all five downtown stations in April. 

Metra’s enhanced cleaning efforts have also created new demands for innovative cleaning tools. Among these are electrostatic sprayers, specialized cleaning machines that spray disinfecting mist or fog throughout a railcar. Metra has ordered backpack and roller versions of these machines to boost its efforts to keep trains as disinfected as possible. 

These machines will be used in conjunction with Metra’s regular cleaning efforts done by hand, which come with their own set of supply challenges. Because of the limited supply of the disinfectants that Metra’s cleaning crews usually use, the materials team had to look for alternative products and coordinate with Metra’s Safety and Environmental Compliance Department to ensure these products met the agency’s standards for disinfecting facilities and equipment. The team has been able to obtain 660 gallons of Lysol equivalent purchased bulk in 55 gallon drums.

Collaboration among departments has been key to maintaining the supply. 

“We work hand-in-hand with our colleagues on the procurement side,” Fischer said. “We all work together to make sure that everyone has what they need.” 

Delivery Challenges

Once Metra orders an item, the issue of getting it to the agency’s storehouses remains. Coronavirus has put a strain on the delivery system, meaning sometimes employees have to take the extra step of picking up the items themselves rather than waiting for it to ship. Trucks are limited to one employee, who then brings coronavirus-specific supplies to Metra’s centralized warehouse. Or, in some cases, items are brought directly to the employees. 

For instance, the masks NorthCape is making in Alsip never see a delivery vehicle. Instead, Chief Safety and Environmental Officer Hilary Konczal has picked them up and delivered them to Metra work locations himself. 

“I can pick them up and distribute them right away so that the employees who need them most get them as soon as possible,” Konczal said. “The most important thing is to keep our employees safe so they feel comfortable doing their jobs.”