Gartner on Repurposing Capacity to Combat Coronavirus
We’ve all been thrown for a loop during the COVID-19 crisis. But the sheer magnitude of the disruption has also offered an opportunity to reach out to friends and neighbors in need. The same is true for businesses, especially manufacturers who are expanding production of much-needed medical or personal protective equipment (PPE) or repurposing capacity to make hand sanitizer, face masks, or other supplies.
If you’re considering a pivot to help lessen the shortfalls caused by this crisis, a new Supply Chain Brief from Gartner offers some helpful advice. You can read the brief here.
The brief, “4 Questions to Ask When Repurposing Capacity to Combat the Coronavirus”, advises supply chain leaders to consider several areas before committing to such a move. And while some pivots are easier to implement, such as beer manufacturers switching production to alcohol-based hand sanitizer or clothing manufacturers utilizing fabrics for face masks, other manufacturers may have to overcome larger obstacles to succeed. But the brief also has helpful insights that may spark other ideas or more effective ways to participate in this recovery.
Gartner suggest you begin by assessing your basic capabilities, including the availability of both labor and capacity. Labor potentially adds a twist to any decisions due to localized or regional stay-at-home guidance and work stoppages. Upstream and downstream materials flow are also important since you’ll obviously need the supplies to manufacture the products and the logistics to get them to those in need.
But, outside of those challenges, the research firm recommends supply chain leaders consider what supplies are required or allowable, and where new inventory will come from. They also suggest seeking out new or existing partners to help speed the pivot. But that speed has to take into account any regulatory oversight, quality, testing, and other requirements.
Gartner’s “4 Questions to Ask When Repurposing Capacity to Combat the Coronavirus” is a helpful guide for manufacturers considering the allocation of some capacity to much-needed products. The complete Supply Chain Brief is available for you to read today.
And, from all of us at Rootstock, we want to thank you for even considering the potential of helping during this crisis. Any measure that eases a family’s struggle or speeds a person’s recovery is something we both admire and want to encourage. If a Rootstock Cloud ERP solution could help your business repurpose more effectively or just bounce back faster, we’re here to offer our support. Or, if your business can make our visions of fully stocked grocery stores and endless aisles of paper products and baking flour come true, we want to help you, too!
Read how Rootstock customers are helping to combat the Coronavirus!
