We have been continuing to deliver all our services and extend support to our clients and partners, businesses and organisations.

We invested considerably in building our business on strong foundations from the ground-up — with in-house developed systems, processes and technology that were designed for remote work in a changing environment. ACOLINK’s model was designed for the future as lean, agile, compliant. Allowing us to not only rapidly take advantage of new developments, but also better respond to unpredictable changes. The current unfortunate global health crisis and disturbance in international trade and economic growth gave us nonetheless an opportunity to test our operational resilience which has proven to be robust and generally unaffected.

• Resource availability: by the very nature of our business, all our teams are experienced in working remotely and across multiple time-zones.

• Representation and on-the-ground support: an extensive network of partners and carefully vetted agents across different countries and regions allows us to limit inter-regional travel where physical attendance is essential or necessary.

• Training: majority of training programmes and workshops were designed for delivery in multiple formats, including virtual settings.

• Cross-border Trade: Movement of some categories of goods between borders is understandably under tighter control and due to additional preventative measures some clearance and inspections take longer than usual.

• Notice on logistics: Third party services such as logistics are gradually improving but are still affected due to the restricted air capacity in the market, we also see sea/ocean freight capacity restrictions. Last mile delivery in China has been performing well, in many other regions and countries we see longer than usual delivery times (affecting especially consumer e-commerce deliveries).

Of course the situation is dynamic due to the nature of the pandemic — we continue working closely with our clients and partners and are proactively monitoring the situation to manage the impact and ensure business continuity for our customers.

The safety and well-being of all our colleagues, clients, partners, and general public is paramount to us.

All our teams continue to follow guidance on the best methods to ensure safety and prevent the spread of infection in line with recommendations provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and regional authorities. Apart from strictly observing all mandatory and advisory measures at a local level, all our colleagues use appropriate masks (and other PPE where necessary) and observe safety protocols as a precaution to protect themselves and others.

In-person meetings are minimized and whenever possible conducted by teleconferences and virtual meetings.

We encourage all parties to adapt and innovate, however when in-person attendance is essential (e.g. trade-show representation), or unavoidable (e.g. goods inspection) we will assess the situation on a case-by-case basis and if safe and permitted we will make all the necessary arrangements to ensure safety of all persons and follow the guidance and local regulations to minimise the risk of exposure.

Yes, in-market support operates as usual and in-person attendance is available whenever it is safe and permitted in line with regional authorities.

In locations where travelling visitors are being restricted, controlled, or prohibited by regional health authorities, we can utilise our extensive network to engage a local representative. With the current restrictions for foreign visitors and strict controls on cross-border travel (such as strict quarantine requirements), we’ve actually seen increased demand for local support.

We encourage all parties to adapt and innovate, however when in-person attendance is essential (e.g. trade-show representation), or unavoidable (e.g. inspection) we will assess the situation on a case-by-case basis and if safe and permitted we will make all the necessary arrangements to ensure safety of our colleagues and follow the guidance and local regulations.

Apart from strictly observing all mandatory and advisory measures at a local level, all our colleagues use appropriate masks (and other PPE where necessary) and observe safety protocols as a precaution to protect themselves and others.

If you require local support, including temporary representation at trade shows, or need further specific detail about the operational status in a region of interest, please get in touch with your Account Manager, or simply enquire here.

We at ACOLINK have been actively supporting the international effort in supporting the fight against the pandemic since the beginning of the outbreak early January this year.

As the situation develops, we further extend our assistance and are committing resources to support front-line organisations with essential supplies through a series of initiatives:

• COVID Response Network and Working Group — since the start of 2020, our CEO Anita Zhang has initiated and helped coordinate the Network, a moderated group of carefully verified organisations — over 300 organisations from across the world at its peak — to coordinate communication and response.

• Cross-Industry Support Network — with our partners we operate a joint support network where we share resources and capacity, exchange knowledge and work on best working practices to rapidly respond to this dynamic situation, ensure business continuity, and better serve our customers.

• Emergency Supplies Sourcing — sourcing is part of services portfolio and we have committed more resources and intensified the sourcing of emergency supplies for goods and raw materials for the manufacture of both medical and non-medical products since the beginning of the outbreak. Through our experience, resources, strong well established international links and proven processes and systems in place, we are well positioned to continue assisting front-line organisations with the essential supplies.

Yes, sourcing is part of our core services portfolio and we welcome enquiries from authorities, businesses and organisations. We have intensified the sourcing of emergency supplies for goods — as well as raw materials for the manufacture of — both medical and non-medical products since the beginning of the outbreak.

We primarily operate sourcing from China and South East Asia, however through our extensive network of partners we have access to suppliers worldwide.

For product availability and other sourcing enquiries get in touch with your Key Contact at ACOLINK, or simply submit a general enquiry using the contact form.

Please make sure your enquiry is specific and detailed. We will likely request you to provide supporting information, please ensure that you provide these details in full and in a timely manner, only then we can help.

The situation is very dynamic and you’ll be expected to follow a strict process to ensure speed, efficiency and compliance for all the parties — we have established these working methods with relevant stakeholders so it is important that you provide all the necessary preliminary information and follow the process.

Please be also advised that this is a very dynamic situation and the supply chain is under enormous strain (especially for consumables such as examination gloves, medical masks and other medical-grade PPE). On the positive side, the industry response is improving and new capacity and production lines are being added, whilst the supply of raw materials is improving.

Please check our China Travel Restrictions Situation Updates where we keep track of the situation.

If you require local support, including temporary representation at trade shows, please get in touch with your Account Manager, or simply enquire here.