In The Face of Natural Disaster

The Situation: On Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010, for the first time in over 100 years, Baja California experienced a major earthquake of a 7.2 magnitude, lasting over one and half minutes. Most of the resulting damage occurred in the twin cities of Calexico in the US, and just across the border in Mexicali, Mexico, shutting down businesses and systems throughout the area.

The Challenge: IVEMSA’s corporate headquarters were declared unsafe and company computer systems were disrupted.  Regardless, a crucial shipment was scheduled to cross the border the next day for IVEMSA client Masimo, who had a major delivery commitment. Failure to make the shipment would result in associated penalties and fees.

The Action: In spite of the condition of the IVEMSA headquarters, the customs department team met at the office on Monday to evaluate options in order to get the job done. They retrieved required documents and computers, and then networked from their individual homes to coordinate the export, often pushing processors whose offices were similarly damaged to step up to the challenge.

The Result: The shipment was sent as scheduled and the client’s products delivered on time. IVEMSA was the only company that utilized US customs services that day. The IVEMSA team quickly relocated to temporary offices, and delays and service disruptions were avoided for all clients. Three days later, 85% of the companies in Mexicali were back in business.