Quantum Ink Company, an ink manufacturer, has gone viral after the plane crash of a UPS aircraft that paralyzed the entire Kentucky area. What could have been a catastrophe has turned into an example of resilience, and today they are producing ink from the basement of a family home. Here is everything you need to know about this storytime.
The causes that led a UPS plane to crash in Louisville (Kentucky) are still under investigation. This ink company was located barely a quarter of a mile from the crash site and became inaccessible due to traffic and safety restrictions. Used to producing many pounds of ink per day, they could not stay idle and decided that the best option was to keep going as if nothing had happened!
A factory that refuses to stop
Quantum Ink used to produce about 50,000 pounds of ink per day until their facility became completely inaccessible due to safety restrictions. No factory, no access, and a huge number of pending orders.
But instead of giving up, Adam Bland, the company’s CEO, gathered his team to make a decision. They had an hour and a half to collect all the materials they could, so they took the mission very seriously. They filled two vans, emptied the lab, and set up an improvised one in his basement. And that’s how they keep working, at 60% capacity but without stopping.
Of course, they are several days behind, which is understandable, but each day they make progress however they can in the chaos that has taken over their lives.
“We are managing an appropriate amount of chaos” Bland jokes.
True resilience
An emergency solution has turned into an example of resilience. The challenge, of course, is huge, but the team has shown it can overcome any crisis with creativity and effort, something the CEO deeply appreciates.
“We are pulling every possible contact. But honestly, every minute we are improving how we work. If we have to keep it this way, we will,” he says.
And he seems to mean it: they continue to fulfill most of their orders, though deliveries are a bit slower.
When chaos hits you
The UPS crash affected an entire key industrial zone in Louisville, where many companies depend on air traffic and logistics to operate.
With roads blocked and investigations ongoing, several businesses realized they either had to reinvent the way they worked or end up crashing too.
Some companies moved their machinery to other cities, others stopped completely… but Quantum Ink decided to keep working, a true business “miracle.”
Innovation under pressure
Innovation comes more from necessity than from comfort; sometimes it appears just when everything is collapsing (or crashing). For this company, losing its infrastructure was no excuse to stop production, and they were extremely lucky to be able to relocate their workspace elsewhere. Others weren’t so fortunate.
What happened with UPS?
On November 4, shortly after taking off from Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport (Kentucky), a UPS Airlines plane crashed, leaving 14 people dead among the crew and those in the area where the aircraft went down.
According to national sources, the accident occurred when the plane’s left engine detached from the wing, causing a fire and total loss of control.
Quantum Ink Company has managed to overcome the situation, and through teamwork, they have found a way to move forward together. So don’t let anyone say companies survive because of money, because they survive thanks to the people who make them up!