Rittal-CSM is a world-leading manufacturing and engineering facility, based in Roborough, Plymouth. The factory makes metal cabinets (also known as ‘racks’) for servers and data centres in the IT sector, as well as the enclosures used to house mechanical and electrical equipment in a wide variety of industrial sectors.

The role that these professionally designed, precision-engineered, cabinets play in protecting some of the world’s most sensitive electronic equipment is probably not fully appreciated by the outside world. However, they play a crucial role in helping to guard and secure the data on which we all depend.

Keeping staff safe in uncertain times

The coronavirus has, not surprisingly, created significant challenges for the business, which is classed as a key supplier during the lockdown.

Countless organisations across the world have turned to Microsoft Teams and other systems to run their business remotely while employees are self-isolating. As a result, several of Rittal-CSM’s customers - the critical data infrastructure providers - have been constructing new data centres to handle the higher levels of online traffic. This, in turn, has increased demand for Rittal’s racks.

However, maintaining operations in the factory during the pandemic has not been easy and has required considerable levels of co-operation across the board.

Keeping staff safe is obviously a priority so, in line with government advice, the firm's factory staff are complying with the two-metre social distancing rule and wearing PPE at all times. Hourly hand washing is also now part of the standard company procedure.

Thank you to everyone involved

Although the new rules and practices make day-to-day production activities far more difficult, staff have been very compliant and are watching out for each other's welfare.

And, of course, Rittal-CSM doesn’t work in isolation; it is supported by a complex network of suppliers from the UK, and across the world.

Dr Stephen Hobbs, Managing Director Rittal UK and Ireland, says: “It will be a long time before business is back to normal and when it is, it will be in no small way down to the co-operation of staff and the committed support of the many suppliers within the supply chain network.

“On behalf of the directors of Rittal-CSM, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with keeping us going and enabling our customers to build the critical data infrastructure that we all so desperately rely on.”

To find out more about Rittal-CSM’s operations, and working at the company visit the website.