As we begin to pivot from the current COVID-19 crisis; any business, customer, or enterprise must be aware that significant improvements are impending at best. It’s not sufficient to realize when a different trend will emerge critically it is indeed how companies and customers both comprehend what else the current trend will entail, the effects it will bring, and how they should adapt to changes occurring in the light of an inevitable decline. Some industries may shift parts of their distribution networks outside from China and into the United States or any other regions. Others will create alternate road maps moving forward.
How are things changing?
Due to COVID-19, the following major changes are being observed.
-
Keeping away from big crowds.
-
Increased grocery expenditures.
-
Spending on movies, travel, transportation, and beauty decreased.
-
Expenditure on at-home entertainment increased.
-
Expenditure on food distribution increased.
-
Purchasing in abundance / stock piling inventory
-
As updated information on COVID-19 is released, spending increases.
-
A vaccination, according to consumers, will/is increasing morale.
While the pandemic persists, many big developments are emerging.
One is that digital and virtual techniques and technology are being used more often.
Secondly, customers are consuming less, a pattern that will certainly remain as the inflation rate increases. Although certain businesses, like entertainment at home, are experiencing growth, the majority of industrial sectors are experiencing declines due to a complete loss of customer interest in the market.
Also, customers are rapidly purchasing durable goods in large quantities. Merely inventory plans face a dilemma in this case. Companies that sell basic items may also experience a reduction in demand forcing them to rethink their service offerings.
The Effect on Manufacturers due to COVID-19
Realignment of the supply chain:
The concerns present in supply chains highly centralized in one nation or area have been illustrated by COVID-19 and the past few decades of business instability.
Many suppliers already were suggesting expanding the distributor facility’s physical locations to mitigate the effects of a nation or regional crisis, but others could go even further. Manufacturing companies in some industries that rely extensively on China, such as medical devices, electrical equipment, automobiles, aeronautics, and many others, may shift sections of the distribution networks to the United States or other countries.
Moving distribution networks out of China to such a location where the US becomes less prone to be involved in political instability or economic sanctions will be less problematic in the long run.
Manufacturing companies should take many other measures, in parallel to reassessing their chain management footprint, to reduce existing and potential supply chain disturbances.
Keep an eye out for changes in production:
Keep a constant finger on the pulse of consumer demanded movements to get a continuous updated idea of final products and stock requirements.
Keep in touch with key vendors:
To balance stock expenditures with consumer demands, share details regularly to postpone, raise, or revoke incoming delivery orders as required. Recognize the contractual ramifications of order modifications.
Reduce the supplier’s risk:
To mitigate any immediate risks, suppliers should determine which Tier 1 vendors are facing manufacturing problems and seek alternatives, particularly for all of those who supply critical goods or products before assessing problems involving Tier 2 and 3 suppliers.
Oversight and transparency in the supply chain can be improved:
Using technology like freight tracking, RFID, and GPS, you can gain insight into almost any aspect of the supply chain. Corporations may respond quite easily to unforeseen issues if they have real-time accountability.
Analyze the insurance policy
Be aware of the scope of the insurance plan.
Acceleration in E-Commerce
Customers have turned nearly exclusively to online shopping as the pandemic proceeds.
Particularly after the epidemic subsides, the possibility for continuing public isolating activities could deter in-store behavior from returning to pre-pandemic levels. Many companies with vast storefronts and sluggish e-commerce outlets were still struggling before the pandemic, and they may just get out of businesses before it is all over.
Business owners who either have or will expand their e-commerce capability, on the other hand, would be likely to benefit from the rapid transition to shopping online. This is both a challenge and an advantage for manufactures.
Manufacturing companies having a large wholesale consumer base might not expect consumption to rebound to pre-pandemic levels, and they may even lose sales due to economic bankruptcy.
To cover any of the expected losses, suppliers of critical products might even want to concentrate their efforts on supplying to wholesalers and retailers. Retail stores with dominant digital distribution platforms could be a reasonable choice for manufacturers of customer durable products.
Customer’s priority on Savings
Customers are deeply worried regarding their economic wellbeing as the epidemic throws the US back into recession, implying that even a don’t-spend and save attitude may prevail in the upcoming days.
This mindset has spread to the corporate community, with most businesses cutting capital expenditures because of a cost-cutting strategy. Although production for “necessary” goods like laundry detergent and non – perishable food items has improved, consumption for customer luxury products and manufacturing products is anticipated to remain to decline for some time.
Increase in dependency on Automation
Since automation reduces the need for human contact, it can be used to preserve social distance and avoid the transmission of bacteria.
Manufacturing companies that now have robotics in their plants would be willing to uphold socially distancing methodologies and redistribute personnel resources to other areas of the market with greater ease.
Although factories will not be willing to undertake capital spending if they are in economically focused constraints, others that emphasize technology will be prepared to decrease prices, increase profitability, and significantly reduce threats in the field in the longer term.
Manufacturers should do the following to reduce sales losses:
Product Pivoting for Short Term Period
Consider restricting supply to concentrate on the most popular goods and perhaps pivoting to a different product that is ideally tailored to the existing financial landscape. Evidence, not gut instinct, should be used to decide whether or not to pivot development.
Besides, during an epidemic, manufacturers should gather and review data on the production of their goods and/or services. What has excelled and what had struggled? Has there been a big shift in demand? Has it become difficult to generate enough supply to satisfy demand due to supply chain disruptions? What are the consequences of long term continuity for a company when such improvements are made effective after COVID-19?
Price Pivoting for Short Term Period
Manufacturing companies can also assess the flexibility and see whether they can provide a temporary incentive or a convenient payment plan to assist consumers with tight budgets & to gain business value against closest rivals.
Customer service digitization
Manufacturing companies only with wide consumer support divisions may think about going virtual or participating in digital resources to improve customer care even after the COVID-19 challenge has passed.
Answering customer queries and responding to feedback via web forms, robotic process automation, or completely client service personnel will reduce costs and increase consumer satisfaction, which would be particularly relevant for suppliers that market DTC and could have hundreds of customers.
Conclusion
As a cross-functional team of logistics experts, we help clients navigate areas of transportation. Our focus is not on an individual product group or service offering but rather a comprehensive approach to effectively managing and optimizing the supply chain.
However, CLN offers a complete range of end-to-end logistics services.
Our services are customized and tailored to meet the specific requirements of our clients.
Our Single Source Global Management System provides the structure and support to drive industry leading performance and results from each of our service areas.
CLN WORLDWIDE
www.clnusa.com
customerservice@clnusa.com
704.756.6425
