Business Almost As Usual for Mold Builders as Coronavirus Continues
The general mood of the mold builders with whom I connected during the past week is mostly “business as usual” albeit a smaller workforce due to social distancing efforts … but there are also those who have literally jumped in to help with a variety of medical products.
Mold builders take precautions, make plans, and look for opportunities.
Wow, I did not think my editor’s messages from earlier this year on the importance of workforce and technology readiness and the acceptance of our “new normal” (disruption) would come into play overnight. But they did.
And as the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to unfold daily. I continue to reach out to mold builders across North America to hear what they are experiencing, how they are managing their operations, and what we at MoldMaking Technology can do to help.
In a nutshell, shops expressed concerns over completing their existing backlog on time with the expectation of continued and increased staffing shortages along with the possibility of raw material shortages. However, none of that has either happened or has had an impact just yet.
In fact, the general mood and outlook of the mold builders with whom I’ve connected this past week is mostly “business as usual” albeit a smaller workforce (due to social distancing efforts and some self-quarantine by employees who have traveled recently).
However, I must mention that there are also mold builders who have literally jumped in to help design and produce a variety of medical products in what some would say are impossible lead times. (We’ll have more on those stories later as the week unfolds).
The continuing uncertainty of the situation since the COVID-19 outbreak is a bit unsettling, but mold manufacturers are taking precautions, making plans, and looking for opportunities. Some of key words expressed to me during the past week include:
- Focus
- Opportunity
- Awareness
- Patience
- Gratitude
- Communication
- Speed
- Investment
It may be a wait-and-see approach right now with everyone “monitoring the situation” but the key is to stay focused because there are always opportunities!
For example, if you’re a mold builder with capacity to take on new mold builds then get your shop listed on MMT’s Online Supplier Database for long-term promotion, and signed up for our new Sourcing Assistance Program to address immediate sourcing needs.
