With 2020 now receding in the rear view mirror and vaccinations growing in availability with the promise of things returning to “normal”, manufacturers and society as a whole have ample reasons for optimism. According to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), manufacturers’ confidence has risen from 34% a year ago at the onset of the pandemic to 88% heading into Q2 of 2021 marking the highest level of confidence in two years.
While indicators appear we’re headed in a positive direction, it’s critical to remember that we’re not in the clear yet. With COVID-19 surges and spikes still having a global impact and vaccinations still in the rolling out stage, disruptions are still a threat. Whether the impact results in supply chain disruptions, associate attendance challenges due to quarantine, or revenues lagging, the fact is that we’re still vulnerable to the pandemic on multiple fronts. In reviewing the many trends anticipated in the manufacturing industry over the course of 2021, there are three that stand out as factors which could truly impact industrial businesses as we strive for a return to normalcy.
Employee Safety as the #1 Priority
It’s always been important to keep employees safe. No one could ever deny that priority. In the pandemic and post-pandemic economy, employee safety has taken on a much greater significance. The need for employee welfare has extended beyond the traditional OSHA requirements and regulations that guard us
“At American Cutting Edge, safety has always been our top priority regardless of where someone works within the organization. With the introduction of COVID, we reevaluated our processes and launched a new safety program designed not only to keep employees safe but also to mitigate the risk of transferring COVID to vendors and customers,” explains Chief Operating Officer, Gregory Billhardt.
“Early last spring we determined that the most immediate path for protecting our employees was to limit contact and implement social distancing. With personnel in manufacturing, operations, and sales, we evaluated which roles would be able to function remotely and moved those employees to a work from home status. For those remaining on-site, strict sanitization procedures were put into place that included hand sanitizing stations, face mask requirements, social distancing, cleaning tools between uses, and making sure that the rules were followed not only by ACE employees but also vendors and customers visiting the facility,” continued Billhardt.
As 2021 progresses and vaccination efforts continue, many companies are looking at their office staffing
“Our need to stay socially distanced, keep up on the office sterilization efforts, and work together to stay safe isn’t going to change in the near term. At this point, our goal is to bring our teams back into the office in rotating shifts once vaccines are more widely adopted. The last thing we want to see is a surge that would endanger anyone’s health and well-being. Our decision is and will remain to be vigilant to keep employees, vendors, and customers safe,” concluded Billhardt.
Connected Work Environment
The idea of a connected work environment focuses on all employees in all locations being tied into and working from the same technological platform. Being connected to the same technologies and working together using the same procedures and polices when conducting business with customers means there’s less opportunity for errors, which positively impacts the customer experience.
According to a recent McKinley article, digital collaboration tools are poised to play an incredibly
“At ACE, our mission is to make cutting effortless for our customers. In order to achieve this with a hybrid, in-office/remote team, we had to ensure that our workforce was tied into the resources they need on a daily basis and that everyone was able to follow the same processes and procedures regardless of physical location,” explains Gregory Billhardt. “When you’re working with some folks remotely, there’s no opportunity to swing by someone’s desk and ask a question about how a detail is communicated if it’s out of the norm. With fewer employees on-site, it’s paramount that everyone is on the same page when it comes to documenting and communicating critical business information,” concludes Billhardt.
Resiliency of the Supply Chain
With more than 80% of businesses worldwide indicating that the pandemic impacted their supply chain negatively, it’s no surprise that finding a way to build resiliency within the supply chain is a priority for 2021 and beyond. Supply chain resiliency is the supply chain’s ability to be prepared for unexpected risk events, responding and recovering quickly to unanticipated disruptions to return to normal service levels. Supply chain resiliency can also refer to the growth of the supply chain to a new and more desirable state to improve customer service, market share, and financial position.
Moving Ahead
When you’re choosing an industrial knife and blade manufacturer and partner, it’s important to take
ACE was founded in 1965 based on the principle of putting our customers first. Our mission has evolved to the concept of making cutting effortless for our customers. To do so requires a great deal of attention to the backend processes, procedures, and relationships that we have developed over the course of our existence. Our commitment to our customers is to ensure that as times change, as an organization we’re ready to meet those changes and challenges with confidence so customers continue to receive the same level of outstanding service and quality products they’ve come to expect of us. Take advantage of our years of experience and business knowledge by putting us to work for you.