09/09/2021
To our valued customers worldwide:
We are pleased to report we have resumed operations at our Louisiana facilities.
Production resumed in limited capacity on Friday September 3, and we’ve ramped up to full production over the last few days.
Our global sales and service teams remained fully operational throughout our recovery in Louisiana.
Shipping out of Louisiana remains unreliable, but we see signs of significant progress – and expect normal shipments to resume by next week.
Many on our team made heroic efforts to get our business back on-line. I am extremely proud to be a part of such a spectacular team. We are grateful to continue to serve you, our valued customers. Thank you, James Lapeyre General Manager Laitram Machinery james.lapeyre@laitram.com
09/03/2021
This past Sunday, 08/29/2021, Hurricane Ida moved through Harahan, Louisiana, where our headquarters and main plant are located. While we think we will be fully operational in the next few weeks, the situation is extremely challenging: many employees fled the region, others live in their homes without power and water. Fortunately, we are not aware of any employee injuries. Most employees sustained moderate damage to their homes – requiring only power and water to return. However, several employees sustained catastrophic loss of property.
Our facilities in Harahan sustained minimal damage; power and water to campus and employee homes are the constraints to resuming business. We expect most power and water to return within 3 weeks – but timeline is uncertain.
We have an incredible and dedicated global team, and we are defining our plan to get to full strength as quickly as possible. Our priorities:
Ensure employee safety and well-being
Maintain sales and service excellence globally; our sales and service teams stand ready to fully support you. During this time, we pull from parts inventories positioned around the world.
Expect parts orders and shipping delays from Louisiana for the next few weeks.
Response times will be delayed for areas most effected by the storm
Position our employees and facility to ramp up production to full strength once we regain power.
Our Account Managers and Service Representatives will reach out to customers who have open orders expected for the upcoming weeks.
Our primary concern is for the safety and well-being of our employees while we work to bring Harahan production back on-line. We will continue to update you as the situation evolves. We remain extremely grateful for the opportunity to partner with you, our valued customer.
Best regards, James Lapeyre General Manager Laitram Machinery james.lapeyre@laitram.com