United’s COVID-19 Response Plan

19 March 2020

A Message to our Customers and the Community,

We are all aware of the current events surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) here in Australia and
abroad. United would like to let you know that we have taken a very proactive approach in the way we
are dealing with the situation. Furthermore, we would like to stress that the health and safety of our
staff, families, customers and the community is, and will continue to be, our highest priority as we move
through these unprecedented times.

Our Current Strategy

At United we are committed to supporting our customers, so we would like to assure you that United’s
business will continue to operate as per normal at this time. This includes but not limited to;

  • Business operations and services will continue to operate with no changes, and all points of
    contact including business phone, email and online services will be available.
  • Other support functions including Accounts (creditor and debtor functions), Customer Care and
    Sale Support will also continue unchanged.
  • Field service operations (metropolitan and regional) will continue to operate from remote, and
    all United local metropolitan areas.

Planning Ahead

As the situation is evolving daily, United is continually updating our Business Continuity Plan in
response to COVID-19 to ensure the continuity of our services. We will also continue to monitor, plan,
review and make decisions as necessary and based on the guidance of Federal and State authorities.

Part of our preparedness is to ensure in the event of a COVID-19 health emergency, we as a business
are ready to effectively respond and manage any impacts this may have on our staff working from our
various branches. Our planning ensures we are prepared to minimise disruption in such events to
ensure the continuity of our services. This includes the ability of our staff to work remotely where
appropriate.

Furthermore, with regards to Parts Supply, we are currently experiencing some delays from
international suppliers due to the impact of the global COVID-19 crisis. However, we would like to
assure customers that United has already developed a Parts Contingency Plan. We don’t see any
significant impact in the short term; however, we are working on appropriate measures now to minimise
any subsequent stock shortages in the next 6-12 months.

Precautionary Measures

As mentioned above, the health and safety of our staff, families, customers and the community are of
the upmost importance. In order to mitigate health risks and minimise the impact to staff and everyone
associated with United, we ask that all staff, visitors, customers and suppliers that have traveled outside
of Australia in the last 14 days, or who have been in contact with anyone who has, do not attend our
offices.

United has also;

  • Ceased non-critical travel,
  • Cancelled attendance at large events and gatherings,
  • Developed appropriate social distancing measures, where practical, and
  • Introduced important personal hygiene recommendations for staff and visitors (as advised by
    the health department).

We can all agree that the current situation is something that we have never experienced before. At
United we are confident that our preparation and constant reviewing of our strategies, ensures we are
in the best position to minimise the impact associated with COVID-19, and the continuity of our
business. As the situation changes United will continue to provide updates to our customers and
stakeholders as necessary.

United would like to also wish you and your family the very best of health and safety during this time.
Stay safe and take care of one another.

 

Kind regards,

David Maxwell – Managing Director