3 MIN. READ
As useful and as highly recommended as continuity of operations plans are, very few companies could have predicted the disastrous effect of COVID-19 on worldwide supply chains.
Entire countries have shuttered factories. Even in the U.S., individual states are determining which companies are considered "life-sustaining" and which are not.
It is no exaggeration to say that supply chains are upended at the moment.
As manufacturers focus on retooling, saving money and keeping their employees safe, it can be difficult to see the value in maintaining other business responsibilities like marketing and advertising initiatives.
However, now more than ever, you need to be advertising your company in order to stay relevant in the supply chain and in your community.
Your Company is a Visible Part of the Supply Chain
While some companies can ramp up production of much-needed medical supplies for COVID-19, other companies are retooling to create supplies in place of their usual production line.
One county in Pennsylvania has invoked a plan that hasn't been in use since WWII. This plan allows all manufacturing companies within the county to band together, retooling to create much-needed supplies to combat the virus. It also allows for a shared and re-trained workforce to accommodate changes on the manufacturing floor.
In the U.S., critical manufacturing is defined as those manufacturing companies that work in the medical device industry, transportation and logistics, food manufacturing, and a few select other facilities. Manufacturers who provide parts that support these industries need to advertise that they are still open for business.
Even if your manufacturing company does not make medical supplies or cannot convert to do so, advertising that your parts are still a vital part of the supply chain is integral to your company's success at the moment.
Your Company is a Vital Part of Your Community
In the midst of rising unemployment due to COVID-19 layoffs, advertising that your manufacturing facility is still going strong alleviates stress.
Not only are you a vital economic driver, but advertising the ways in which you protect the health of your workers and their families shows that you care about your community.
Several companies in Vermont are taking extra precautions, not only providing their workers with proper protective gear, but also switching to double shifts to allow for social distancing. Furthermore, some companies take the temperature of their workers as they start their shifts, not only to ensure the public that the final product is safe, but also to provide workers with the extra healthcare measure to know that they are free of a key COVID-19 symptom.
Advertising these facts to your community and your supply chain will ease fears regarding the continued operation of your manufacturing facility and the safety of your finished product.
Everyone Remembers Rosie the Riveter
While the battle against COVID-19 is a completely different circumstance from World War II, everyone remembers Rosie the Riveter.
Your company may or may not create such an iconic image, but strategic advertising places your manufacturing facility at the forefront of combating a world-wide epidemic.
World-wide supply chains have been disrupted due to COVID-19. One of the greatest impacts is the supply chain from China. With the devastation caused by the virus, factories ground to a halt. Companies with international offices closed.
Your manufacturing company could bridge that gap. Whether you supply the parts that allow manufacturers to continue their efforts or your company can band together with other similar manufacturers to increase output and decrease layoffs, you can help decrease the 75% supply chain disruption that U.S. manufacturers expect as a result of this pandemic.
Advertise Now to Create Lasting Relationships
Whether you join with other manufacturers or simply absorb and re-train the existing displaced workforce, now is the time to advertise your part in the COVID-19 crisis. You are supporting your community, the manufacturing community and the country's efforts to fight this virus.
Very few people remember Rosie the Riveter's real name, but everyone remembers the way all manufacturers gathered together for the war-time effort.
Advertise your services to increase your brand awareness and build lasting relationships with other manufacturers - relationships that will serve you well in the months and years to come.
If you want your company to be a visible part of the supply chain, IndustryNet is a direct path for U.S. industrial suppliers to increase their visibility among domestic industrial procurers.
Based on trusted MNI data, IndustryNet is a free industrial marketplace, connecting millions of industrial buyers with 400,000 U.S. manufacturers and suppliers of more than 10,000 types of products and services. Click here to learn more.
