Suburban companies deal with flu at Mexico facilities

About 270 manufacturers in Illinois and other types of suburban-based businesses with operations in Mexico have been curtailing business travel and providing facial masks and more sanitizing supplies to workers there.

For some companies, the swine flu has even helped to boost their bottom lines.

Still, executives said this week that health and safety are paramount, and this latest crisis couldn't have come at a worse time for ailing businesses that could see their production and profits dwindle further.

That's the last thing the struggling manufacturing sector needs, said Mark Denzler, vice president of government affairs at the Illinois Manufacturers Association.

"Given the economic struggles the manufacturing and business communities have been facing today, the swine flu outbreak is just one more hurdle to make it more difficult for the economy to rebound," Denzler said.

The swine flu is similar to another upper respiratory epidemic called SARS that devastated Asia in 2003. The loss of global trade and transportation at that time were in the billions.

With that in mind, many suburban-based companies have their pandemic plans in place to help workers and continue operation of their facilities to serve customers.

For example, Lake Forest-based W.W. Grainger, which provides industrial equipment and products to companies and governments worldwide, has about 350 workers at 15 branches and a distribution center in Mexico. While no flu cases have been reported there, the company has temporarily disbanded international business travel and has encouraged its sales managers to work from home, said company spokesman Vernon O'Donnell.

In addition, Grainger has instituted an educational program to encourage workers to use more hand sanitizers and cleaning supplies.

Besides dealing with its own work force, Grainger has seen an uptick in some products, including facial masks for workers, sold to industrial and government customers, he said.

Deerfield-based Walgreen Co. said it will keep the shelves stocked with cold medications as well as tissues, anti-bacterial soaps and various cleaning supplies, said spokeswoman Tiffani Washington.

Walgreens has already seen an uptick in sales for facial masks in Texas, California and Illinois, she said.

"We are going to do our best to keep a strong stock and help keep customers with the basics," said Washington.

PepsiCo, which has operations in Chicago and Schaumburg, said they have distributed masks to their employees in Mexico City and at plants elsewhere in Mexico, said spokesman David DeCecco.

"We've reinforced staff and medicine resources in our internal medical centers there," said DeCecco. "Pregnant and nursing employees remain at their homes as a precautionary measure. We're continuing to monitor the situation closely and will make adjustments to our plans as needed."

Still, some manufacturers with operations in Mexico have so far seen little impact from the flu, said Mary Rose Hennessy, executive director of Business and Industry Services at the University of Illinois in Naperville.

"So far, the impact from the flu on our companies has been minimal," she said.