Prepare for more change
What was normal two years ago will almost certainly not be normal during the second half of 2010 or even during the first months of 2011. What was normal then, in fact, might never be normal again. Even though it might be a cliché, change really is the new normal in manufacturing — and plenty of other industries, too.
Among those changes are the new gaps in the supply chains of some larger original equipment manufacturers, the result of smaller companies closing during the last couple of years, which might cause delays and problems in receiving supplies in a timely manner. A number of industry experts say the availability of credit will also likely change, with banks starting to somewhat relax their requirements for the first time in two years. But the biggest change might be the addition of manufacturing jobs.
“Manufacturing is now the only business sector that has been adding jobs for five months,” says Emily Stover DeRocco, president, The Manufacturing Institute. “Manufacturers have added 126,000 new jobs.
“But the focus is going to continue to be more on what we call mass customization, as opposed to mass commoditization. This reflects, again, the industry’s response to globalization, which is that U.S. manufacturers, in order to maintain their global leadership, have had to move to a higher quality and a higher value product.”
And that higher quality product will almost certainly lead to more changes in the way manufacturers and so many other companies plan and do business. It is the ripple effect across industries.
For example, if you have not already reassessed your vision and your plan for your company — especially in terms of green initiatives and a more green production cycle — that should move to the top of your priority list.
“Reassess your priorities and really have a vision for what you want the company to be five or 10 years down the road,” Fenton says. “Keeping a lid on costs is important, so technology and investment are important, as is investing in employees.
“One of the things you hear about a lot are green initiatives. We have a client in Atlanta that, about 15 or 20 years ago, began their green initiative with the goal of having no carbon footprint by 2020. They were ahead of the curve, but more and more companies are starting to look at that and adopt policies around that. From a business perspective, it can help to reduce waste in companies.”
It can also help you better position yourself and your company for the continuing changes and the eventual uptick in the economy and the industry.
