CAMM, Automate Canada Release Coronavirus Impact Survey Results

 

Both the Canadian Association of Mold Makers (CAMM) and Automate Canada released the results of a recent COVID-19 impact survey. The survey went out to members and non-members working in manufacturing, and three quarters of companies that responded were willing to help with medical devices and/or equipment manufacturing. The goal of the survey is to inform and use the results to help advocate for support for an industry deemed essential, not only to the economy but also to help with supply chain and possibly to help with any pending crisis in medical equipment.

The survey went to contacts in Canadian manufacturing, moldmaking and industrial automation sectors earlier this week and had 93 respondents. The responses were primarily from the Southwestern Ontario region, which has a significant manufacturing, moldmaking and industrial automation cluster.

It was immediately clear that the coronavirus crisis is already having a significant impact on these businesses. The organizations also know that cash flow, employee retention and anxiety are key issues facing the industry in these difficult times.

Here is more information from the survey:

• Almost 65% of respondents were companies under 50 employees in size
• Two-thirds of respondents had some employees off work on self isolation or quarantine (while one-third had none)
• Layoffs are already starting to hit hard at some workplaces, with over 700 employees from 25% of respondents on either temporary or permanent layoffs
• To date, manufacturers have been impacted by worker anxiety, project cancellations, travel cancellations and the challenges of adapting to working from home. The risk of losing employees, cancelled projects and declining sales were also big stress points
• Anticipated challenges in coming weeks are cash flow, employee retention, health and safety and supply chain risks
• 75% of companies who responded were willing to help with medical devices and/or equipment manufacturing and will be connected to industry in several different ways

This survey will be released each week for the next several weeks in order to gather data on the impact the coronavirus is having on the Canadian manufacturing sector. The goal is to assist manufacturers, mold makers and industrial automation companies through these difficult and rapidly changing times and to understand best practices and responses should another crisis hit.

Discover more results from the survey here.