Annual Predictions
DIRECTION OF DEMAND As with every industry , one of the biggest impacts that COVID-19 has had on the manufacturing sector is the ongoing uncertainty it has caused across all business function ; this will not end in 2021 . Origin has been fortunate because the number of building projects put on hold during the first lockdown created pent up demand for our products and service , so we have actually been incredibly busy . Our main concern has therefore been the uncertainty around our supply chain .
SPEAKING OF SUPPLY Many businesses will have had to shift their operations in order to weather supply uncertainty , by increasing the number of suppliers they work with to spread the risk , or consolidating their supply chain and ring fence stock . Our operational shift started in February 2020 - pre-lockdown - as we import some parts from the EU , so we started to feel the true effect of the pandemic before the UK . We created a buffer of raw materials in our
UK warehouse to account for expected delays . As time went on , we had to adapt further to protect ourselves against delays in the sourcing of raw materials in Britain . We refocussed our resources and prioritised building up a bank of materials and parts to weather the ongoing disruption . We also worked hard to create and store as much stock as possible in order to minimise disruption and allow us to deliver on time and in full , something that is more important than ever to our customers who are working hard to complete construction projects in the face of so much uncertainty .
TURNING TOWARDS EXCELLENCE IN 2021
In typical Origin style , we are always looking forwards . 2021 will be focussed on delivering on our promises to our customers through excellent service , support , quality and adopting innovative new business practices . This will allow us to cater for the increase in demand caused by a backlog of building projects that were affected by lockdown restrictions . We will be bringing innovative new products to market , continuing to explore cutting-edge ways to reduce our environmental impact and , as always , supporting our partners .
I have no doubt that COVID-19 will have a long-term impact on the manufacturing industry . As the world gradually returns to its pre-pandemic state , I think we will cherry pick the aspects of our COVID-19 strategies that have worked well and continue to include these as part of our everyday operations . For example , I believe that the pandemic has accelerated remote working by at least five years . We have all successfully incorporated new technologies into our everyday work lives and are continuing to feel the benefits of digital communications , such as video conferencing , which was something many businesses rarely utilised before this year . And , as the world begins to recover , I ’ m sure the industry will grow in confidence once again .
origin-global . com
CLEARVIEW-UK . COM » JAN 2021 » 37