KIMBALL INTERNATIONAL RESPONDS TO THE EVOLVING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

JASPER, Ind., March 31, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kimball International (NASDAQ:KBAL), an innovator in design-driven commercial furnishings sold through a family of brands in the workplace, learning, health and hospitality environments, today released the following statement from CEO Kristie Juster to provide an update on how the COVID-19 outbreak has had an effect on its business and operations.

The Kimball International family has a tremendous history of banding together in times of crisis.  Our commitment first and foremost is to the health, safety and care of our employees and the communities in which we live.  At the same time, it is our responsibility to do what we can to support the fight against the COVID-19 crisis. Today we are announcing Kimball International will adjust our manufacturing operations to prioritize the needs of our healthcare business. I am incredibly proud of the dedication of our Kimball International team in serving our employees, our commitment to the healthcare community and our diligence in navigating the path ahead.

Care of Our Employees:
From the very start of this crisis, our focus has been the health and safety of our employees.  Immediately, we put into place a dedicated task force to implement our sanitization, social distancing and response protocols at all facilities, and implemented a remote working program for professional staff, including training and full video conferencing capabilities.  The company also took steps to care for those at higher risk of getting sick from COVID-19 through a Special Care Program, and those experiencing unique hardships through a dedicated Employee Fund.  Beginning yesterday, we provided our employees a “Paid Time Off for Crisis” program that enables our active, full-time U.S. manufacturing employees to stay at home with full pay and benefits for ten days or elect to continue working to support our healthcare initiatives.

Realignment of U.S. Manufacturing to Meet the Needs of the Healthcare Crisis:
We are making some important temporary shifts in our business operations to prioritize critically needed healthcare products for the crisis.  Our Kimball Health Brand has launched a family of Health Crisis Solutions:  QUICK TRIAGE designed for quick diagnosis and patient sorting, CARETEAM WORK ENVIRONMENTS supporting temporary nurse stations and RAPID RESPONSE PATIENT ROOMS for makeshift facilities.  Our National Brand has also launched a grouping of Quickship Products specifically targeting facilities servicing the COVID-19 crisis.  In addition, our teams are coming up with new ways to service the immediate need for personal protective equipment.  With this decision, we will temporarily adjust our manufacturing footprint to focus production within four of our ten U.S. manufacturing facilities.  We will continue to assess the most efficient way to service the needs of the market during this crisis.