Courtesy Photo Moran Iron Works employee Anna Kohler works on a confidential project Wednesday at the company in Onaway.

ALPENA — Manufacturers in Northeast Michigan continue to turn out products, although the way they do business has changed because of the coronavirus and many have been forced to scale back because of lower demand.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered most of all but the most essential businesses closed and Michiganders to stay home unless absolutely necessary to prevent the spread of the virus. But her orders allow many manufacturers to operate as essential businesses.

Many local manufacturers, such as the Onaway-based Moran Iron Works, have contracts with the government. Others, like Lafarge’s Alpena plant, supply products to other essential businesses.

Tom Moran, who owns Moran Iron Works, said operating during a pandemic “is a totally new situation for us” and the business needed to adapt very quickly.

“We went from an 80-person shop down to about 22 or 23 almost overnight,” Moran said. “A lot of our clients just called up and just canceled their orders or put their projects on hold.”

Courtesy Photo Moran Iron Works employee John Stone on Wednesday works on a dam flood gate for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Moran said many employees were scared and didn’t want to be there. Some employees have been laid off, he said.

But some longtime clients are ordering more materials, Moran said.

“We’re sending turbine engine components and jet engine exhaust right to the epicenter of the epidemic in New York City,” he said.

The engines and components produced at Moran Iron Works are used to power New York City’s electrical grid. Parts may wear out or engines might break down, and power companies need to have a consistent supply of energy because respirators used to treat coronavirus patients require electricity, he said.

Adam Poll, president and CEO of the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce, said the virus’ impact on manufacturers “varies from business to business.” It depends on what they’re manufacturing and whether that product has been deemed essential.

“I would say, ultimately, our manufacturers are doing their best to make sure we still have the essential items that we need,” he said. “Obviously, this scenario has impacted everybody, and we’re all reacting the best we can.”

Poll said the situation has challenged businesses to keep employees safe while essential work gets done. Those businesses had to figure out how they would keep their employees apart, provide protective equipment, and alter when employees can take breaks so they’re not congregating in a break room, he said.

New processes have been implemented to sanitize workplaces and equipment, Matt Winter, leader for several Employment Services Inc. clients, said in a YouTube video.

“Teams are working in shifts in order to increase social distance and our leaders are currently finalizing response plans for when a team member does test positive for a virus,” he said in the video.

At Lafarge’s Alpena plant, employees are now required to wear face masks, participate in daily plant meetings via videoconferencing software, and reduce the number of third-party services or visitors in the plant, according to plant Manager Jeffrey Scott. Some employees have been allowed to work from home.

Asked if the plant had laid anyone off, he said there have “been a couple of impacts” to employees, but believes those “impacts” will be temporary and officials look forward to those employees returning.

Scott said the plant is working on a number of projects for Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin that have been deemed essential infrastructure projects.

Some business has slowed down, but “we’ve been fortunate construction has been deemed an essential business and many projects are still going,” he said “We’re looking forward to a time where the state can reopen and the other states can reopen and we can get back to business as usual.”

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.