Upper Austrian machine engineering company Fill started in-house coronavirus testing in October last year in order to ensure the health of employees and to enable on-site installation assignments in Austria and abroad. This testing operation was expanded substantially on March 1, 2021. All employees and their family members, all retired Fill employees, and the entire population of Gurten can now be tested for coronavirus free of charge from Monday to Friday. This campaign is extremely popular.
Gurten, March 23, 2021 – “Only together can we contain this pandemic, and testing plays a vital role in this,” says company proprietor and CEO Andreas Fill, explaining the motivation behind the initiative. Thanks to excellent cooperation with company physician Dr. Thomas Plunger and the authorities, samples can be taken for antigen and PCR tests at the company by trained first-aiders. Fill mechanical engineer and trained paramedic, Jonas Hochrainer, conducts more than 600 tests a week in-house with the active support of his first-aider colleagues.
Offer for the entire local population
The test campaign is based on good cooperation between Fill, the Community of Gurten, and the health authorities. Fill employees can register for a test by means of the CORE internal communication tool, while external persons can phone Gurten Town Hall. The antigen tests at Fill are officially recognized. The tested individual receives their result as soon as possible by e-mail, SMS text message, and, on request, also in printed form. This initiative has been extraordinarily well received by both the workforce and the local population, not least because it saves a journey to the next nearest testing facility – 15 km away in Ried im Innkreis or 10 km away in Obernberg. Fill’s experience with this testing strategy in recent months has been extremely good. If someone tests positive, their closest contacts and departmental colleagues can be tested immediately and appropriate steps can be taken to prevent the virus from spreading any further. In this way, it has been possible to keep infection levels in the company very low.
The goal is an in-house vaccination line
“Intensive testing has allowed us to control the spread of coronavirus in our company to the greatest possible extent. However, the vaccination is required in order to protect our team as much as possible against the effects of a Covid infection. Our aim is therefore to have our own vaccination line, where all company employees can be vaccinated. This offer also applies to all other companies in Gurten. If, as planned, around 250 to 500 vaccinations can be given per day, this campaign could be concluded within just a few days,” says Andreas Fill. Currently, the company is hoping to schedule this for sometime in the period late-April to early May 2021, depending on vaccine availability.
Corporate data
Fill is a leading international machine engineering company based in Gurten, Upper Austria. With sophisticated high-tech systems and custom manufacturing solutions for metal, plastics and wood, Fill makes its customers the best in their fields. The automotive, aviation, sports and building industries all benefit from Fill’s expertise. Since it was founded in 1966, the company has distinguished itself through enormous innovative strength, strong values and the best jobs. “If you are seeking the best solution, shape your future with Fill” is the guiding principle of the company’s more than 900 employees. “Wir sind 1! We are one!” is their vision and stands for togetherness not only with the team, but also with customers, suppliers and partners. The company is 100 percent family-owned and is managed by Andreas Fill (CEO), Martin Reiter (CSO), Alois Wiesinger (CTO) and Günter Redhammer (COO). In 2020, Fill recorded sales of around 144 million euros.
Further information can be found at: www.fill.co.at
