Restart Supply Chain Post COVID-19
I recently spoke as a panelist on the SMAARC webinar hosted by Lincode Labs. It was an excellent experience and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to speak along side other leaders in the manufacturing industry. The topic, which is of course on everyone’s mind, is how do we get started again after the COVID-19 shelter-in-place protections have lifted? The world is going to be a different place. Even when we go back to “normal” it is going to be anything but normal.
From a supply chain perspective, I find this time fascinating because this is the ultimate test of whether you have developed a robust supply chain and done your due diligence in selecting suppliers. You are only as successful as your suppliers and vice versa. Selecting a supplier requires as much consideration and care as selecting a lifelong partner, because in some cases that is exactly what happens. You are looking for open communication, respect and mutual interest in each other’s well-being.
With that, you’ll find below a few tips and considerations that I shared with the attendees of the SMAARC Webinar for how to restart your supply chain.
Begin developing relationships with your suppliers if you don’t have solid relationships yet. This means communication. Check in with them, try to understand from a sympathetic and genuinely interested perspective how they are doing and how their business is going. You should be legitimately vested in their well being and success.
Start reviewing your contingency plans is you don’t have these in place already. Anything can happen in the world of supply chain. You should already know what you’re going to do if a suppliers facility catches on fire or a port goes on strike. What’s happening right now is just another catastrophe in the world of supply chain, but granted its on a global level. Do you know who else can produce your parts if need be? What other suppliers can run your tools on their machines? Are you aware of air freight options to get parts in the pipeline quickly?
Be aware of how your suppliers will be starting up their business again. Did they let go of their hourly employees and will be hiring new personnel that will need to be trained? Or have they managed to retain all their employees? Will they be running at full capacity immediately or take some time to start up again? These are all critical pieces of information to help you plan your restart too.
Develop a restart quality plan. We are all going to be coming back to work a bit rusty – literally and figuratively! Machines have been collecting dust and workmanship skills may not be quite as sharp as they were before. You should have a plan in place to catch the higher incidence of non-conforming parts for the first few weeks before things settle back into the normal routine.
If you have any questions or concerns about how to get started again, please get in touch! We would be happy to talk through your situation and provide further advice.