Statement: Measures regarding Germany’s Emergency Plan for Gas/Power Supply.

The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) have together developed a three-level emergency plan to guide a coordinated response to the tightening gas supply. On 23 June 2022, the BMWK triggered the alert level in Germany, up from the early warning level that had been declared on 30 March 2022. The subsequent and ultimate level under this plan is the emergency level which will take effect if there is an exceptionally high demand for gas, a significant disruption to the gas supply, or another significant deterioration in the supply situation. In these circumstances, the emergency plan foresees that the government take non-market-based measures in particular to safeguard gas supply to protected consumers.

Should a dramatic reduction or even a complete termination of the energy supply force the closure of Bechtle sites, this will in no way jeopardise the delivery of services to our customers.

As was the case under pandemic-related restrictions, employees would be able to instantly resort to remote working from home and thus shift their workplace away from affected sites.

Operations of our data centre, too, are not at risk of being compromised. Since 2016, the Bechtle data centre has been located on Europe’s largest data centre campus in Frankfurt am Main within the framework of a long-term partnership agreement with NTT Global Data Centers EMEA GmbH (NTT GDC).

NTT GDC falls under the protection of critical infrastructure in Germany, and a copy of the relevant certificate, Document P, issued by the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) in accordance with Section 8a (3) of the Act on the Federal Office for Information Security (BSIG) has been provided to Bechtle.

This confirmes consistent energy supply to our data centre. Even in the event of a complete breakdown of regular supply lines, the contracts in place with utilities suppliers provide for continued emergency power supply for 72 hours under full load through diesel generators with attached diesel tanks that can be refuelled during operation. Fuel levels can be filled up within 72 hours, or within 24 hours in an emergency, as required. NTT GDC EMEA maintains contracts with a number of fuel suppliers and ranks within the same priority group as airports, emergency services and hospitals. As per current assumptions, this offers the best possible protection of fuel supplies.

Furthermore, Bechtle has installed a new Emergency Plan for Gas crisis management committee, which is tasked with adapting existing emergency plans as required, coordinating internal measures to avoid shortages, and preparing a coordinated approach to potential shortages down the line.

Measures to raise awareness among executive employees across the Bechtle Group with the goal of reducing our energy consumption are under way and being implemented across the board.

As of: 16 August 2022 – This statement will be updated as and when required.

 

STATEMENT


On the impact of the war in Ukraine.

We are deeply distressed by the ongoing situation in Ukraine and condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s aggression, which is contrary to international law. We stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Our customers have concerns regarding cybersecurity and the impact the conflict could have on the global supply chain, and we are, therefore, in very close contact with our international partners and suppliers as well as with German authorities such as the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI). As things stand, we currently see no risks for our customers.

We share the opinion of the BSI that there is a continued threat from cybercrime and other phenomena and have therefore adopted its recommendations for action. (Source: BSI)

We also concur with the BSI’s warning issued on 15 March 2022 against the use of antivirus software from Russian manufacturer, Kaspersky. The BSI recommends replacing Kaspersky antivirus applications with alternative products. (Source: BSI).

In terms of the supply chain, we are leveraging our excellent relationships with our vendor partners to take all steps necessary not to exacerbate the already tense delivery situation. We will keep you regularly updated on this.

As a result of the rapidly changing situation on the ground in Ukraine, we are currently unable to assess how the conflict will impact us in the long-term.

Bechtle has branches in 14 European countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Great Britain, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland. Our offices in these countries are sales units. Bechtle does not maintain its own production facilities. We have no staff in Ukraine or Russia.

We at Bechtle fully support the economic sanctions agreed as a result of the conflict and are comparing our customer base with the official sanctions lists on a daily basis.

Our location in Poland was very quick to implement relief measures and has our full support. We have donated 250,000 euros for humanitarian aid provided by UNICEF to help the children affected by the conflict. 

We at Bechtle fully support political demands and steps being taken by the Federal Republic of Germany, the European Union, Western allies as well as the vast majority of the Member States of the UN General Assembly to enable peace to be restored.

This statement will be adapted as necessary. As of: Neckarsulm, 22/08/2022

 

STATEMENT     Prise de position     Oświadczenie     Stanovisko     Declaración   

Állásfoglalás     Dichiarazione     Declaração     Verklaring


Statement Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2 resp. COVID-19).

The coronavirus has been dominating the news all over the world since February 2020, and in early 2022 the situation continues to evolve at a rapid pace, bringing with it a slew of different regulations around the globe.

Bechtle has branches in 14 European countries: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Great Britain, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland. Our offices in these countries are sales units. Bechtle does not maintain its own production facilities. We are following ongoing developments regarding the coronavirus outbreak very closely and are also in touch with all relevant health authorities to stay on top of the latest insights and recommendations. In Germany, which is our home market, we also take into consideration recommendations issued by the Robert Koch Institute when determining what measures to take in response to the outbreak.

The topmost priority of all our coronavirus-related action is the health and wellbeing of our employees, as well as our ability to fulfil our contracts with customers. Any and all measures we take are aimed to minimise disruptions to our business. To this end, we are closely coordinating our efforts with our individual business units and locations to ensure a consistent approach to how we handle cases of returning holiday makers and at-risk groups, among other things. In addition to ongoing efforts to sensitise employees, bolster hygiene and enforce related rules, the measures we take also include providing access to a curated list of reputable information sources to ensure a current news stream. All pandemic-related plans of action are regularly reviewed and adapted as needed by Bechtle’s multidisciplinary coronavirus crisis management team.

We have also taken the necessary measures that will temporarily enable the entire staff of individual departments and locations to work from home. Our central IT organisation is also able to reliably keep IT operations running from remote locations. We are also in close contact with our suppliers to prevent disruptions to our customers. We are positive that our excellent partnerships with all major IT manufacturers, many of which date back several decades, will also help us minimise the impact of existing bottlenecks in our supply chains. We also are currently making good use of our ability to stockpile goods at our own logistics hubs in Germany and Switzerland.

Given the highly dynamic situation of the outbreak and its grip on the supply of IT products, we are at this point unable to forecast the medium to long-term effects on our business.

We will review this statement regularly and update it as necessary. 

 

STATEMENT  COMMUNIQUÉ