Part 5 of "The New Supply Chain" blog series by Mike Loquercio, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Expert.

As we see the country opening up cautiously and the beginnings of a phased approach to reviving manufacturing, now is not the time to return to the status quo.  We would all agree that manufacturing and the supply chain must be different – and will be different – but are unsure of what our future state might look like.

Given all our concerns with healthcare, social distancing, unemployment, the new workplace with remote learning and our economy, it’s easy to let the focus on supply chain fall to the back of the priority list.

Many organizations are maintaining or re-starting operations at their facility. Here are some guidelines that can help you ensure employee safety and proper machine and process startup as you resume operations:

When it comes to building rapport in conversations, the key is to keep it simple and listen, listen, listen! It is all about trust and relationships; companies do not do business with companies; people do business with people.

Known for their organic and kosher whiskey, gin, specialty spirits, and for being Chicago’s first distillery since prohibition era, KOVAL Distillery is one of many manufacturers who shifted operations to do their part in battling the current health crisis. Prior to COVID-19, federal laws prohibited distilleries like KOVAL from producing alcohol not meant for consumption. Given the dire situation today, the Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) temporarily lifted those regulations to allow companies to start producing hand sanitizer.

At a time when our supply chains need to be as connected as ever before on a business to business level, we find ourselves in a situation where we are more disconnected than ever on a personal level. This means that manufacturing sales teams have even more adversity when trying to secure meetings, identify opportunities, and close deals. This also means that the opportunities in our pipelines are more precious than ever and might be the difference in being able to keep the doors open or not.

I am receiving many questions on the Illinois Manufacturing Helpline about face covering and face mask use in manufacturing facilities. Some governing bodies are requiring face coverings and not providing clear definitions or specifications on what is considered a “face covering.” Add to this the fact that manufacturers must put in place a respiratory protection program if they require fitted respiratory protection such as N95s or half face or full face respirators (take a look at OSHA regulations around respiratory protection). So, what seems simple to do becomes a multi-layered set of decisions.

Governmental institutions and companies worldwide are tapping into giant data pools to combat the various public health and economic challenges manifesting from the COVID-19 crisis. During these troubling times, big data analytics is proving to be an ally for first responders and other front line workers in healthcare, food service, manufacturing, and other essential services to address the true scale of challenges.

Who would have thought that only a few months into the year 2020, we would all be living through another life-altering crisis? Like previous major crises, they are unwelcomed and unwanted. As we are in the trenches of this current experience, we must remain united and look ahead to a new world that will forever be impacted.

It’s 2020 - a year we will never forget.  The Coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented in its economic and social impacts.  We’ve seen nothing like it and hope to never see it again.  And now that we are in this and expecting to soon get on the other side of this, many questions surround what the new normal is going to look like.

A lot has changed over the past few weeks (I know – I sound like Captain Obvious) and the ripple effects of this crisis are yet to come. We are all entrepreneurs again.

What will your business look like in 3 or 6 months? How about in 2021? How will we prepare our teams and leaders appropriately? The questions go on and on, and while the unknown answers are unnerving, there are some constants that we can lean on for guidance as we work together to create our new norm.