The hurricane season of 2017 goes down in the MPS record book. In late August, HARVEY, a category 4 hurricane, hit the gulf coast west of Houston. The Fort Mill, SC customer service team, teams at each of the plants and teams at the distribution center sprang into action. MPS STORM teams worked through the weekend to ship parts to customers to help restore power.
As MPS tirelessly shipped product to the affected Texas region and were barely able to catch a breath from HARVEY, IRMA, at one time a category 5 hurricane, later downgraded to category 4 at landfall, headed for the United States’ east coast. While it was clear that IRMA was going to be devastating, it wasn’t clear where it was going to hit. Dealing with back-to-back hurricanes was unprecedented! Distributors from all potentially affected areas were pre-ordering parts. MPS worked diligently to ensure that parts were going to where they were most needed.
MPS Locates Customer Service Personnel Outside of the State
MPS was in a difficult position until the storm actually made landfall and it was clear where parts were needed. Originally, IRMA was thought to hit the east coast near Charleston, SC. IRMA moved west, hit the Florida Keys, and made its way up the middle of the state, impacting Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas. To help ensure readiness, contingency plans, in case of power loss, were made for the Fort Mill, SC location by locating customer service people outside of the state. Thankfully, Fort Mill did not lose power.
MPS Responds to Hurricanes and Wild Fires Concurrently
MPS shipped parts to all regions affected by IRMA. Just when it was thought the worst was over, JOSÉ and MARIA did massive destruction to the Caribbean Islands, Anguilla, Turks and Caicos, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. As of mid-November, parts were still being shipped. As hurricane orders subsided, California wild fires became front and center for power restoration requiring MPS parts.
MPS Passes Mother Nature’s Test with Flying Colors
MPS teams were put to an extraordinary test over several weeks and worked together to do whatever it took to get parts out the door. There were countless hours, effort, and dedication by everyone involved. MPS employees were proud of their performance throughout the season.
On November 14, Electric Sales Associates (MPS Rep Agency in the Florida region) visited the Fort Mill, SC office and expressed gratitude for the dedication and service MPS provided to their territory during IRMA. The team received an inscribed crystal monument, which belongs to all MPS employees. The beautiful recognition is displayed in Fort Mill’s main conference room.
