New Technologies and Data are Preparing for Covid-19 as a “Constant” Throughout 2020By Jason Busch and Lisa Reisman November 30, 2020Manufacturers should prepare for Covid-19 to be a constant in business throughout the remainder of 2020. Why? While it appears there will be numerous vaccine candidates reaching later stage clinical trials for Covid-19 in the months to come, it is unlikely they will have a significant effect on the mass population in 2020 based on the statements of numerous medical authorities. Combine this with spiking cases throughout different regions in the country and we get a recipe for a situation where things may get worse before they improve. Manufacturers need to be prepared for this scenario. Many Surplus Record readers are familiar with the general guidelines that the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and others have published around Covid-19. These recommendations include: engaging public officials in lobbying for key legal … [Read more...] about New Technologies and Data are Preparing for Covid-19 as a “Constant” Throughout 2020 Chemical, Process & Pump Equipment Industrial News
Private Equity in 2020: Time to Sell/Partner For Manufacturers?By Jason Busch and Lisa Reisman July 20, 2020Private equity (PE) firms are some of the most likely buyers of manufacturers. Known as “financial buyers” rather than “strategic buyers” – e.g., another industrial firm or peer looking to expand its business – these organizations leverage a combination of their own cash and debt to fund their acquisitions. While private equity got a bad name in the 1980s during the heyday of the “leveraged buyout” or LBO market, today’s firms, especially those investing in manufacturers, look quite different. Granted, while they will still borrow 50% or more of the cost to fund many transactions, usually guaranteed against the cash flow of the business, many have truly become operators in terms of rolling up their sleeves with management to drive growth, creating operating efficiencies (often in procurement and supply chain) and driving the overall … [Read more...] about Private Equity in 2020: Time to Sell/Partner For Manufacturers? Industrial News Manufacturing and Supply Chain
Back To Work: How Will Manufacturers Look?By Jason Busch and Lisa Reisman July 20, 2020Like many business owners, we are incredibly anxious to fully “open back up”. Our primary business is a research and media company serving manufacturers and other industries. While it was exempt from “close” orders because our industry is considered “essential,” we nevertheless shut our office doors in early March, requiring employees to work from home. Reopening our Chicago office will be easy compared to what manufacturers will have to go through — and what many have gone through to maintain operations, if they were allowed to keep their facilities open throughout this time. From acquiring PPE goods (thermometers, masks, disinfectant, hand sanitizer, etc.) to implementing guidelines to maximize social distancing on the shop floor, a myriad of new requirements is critical to operate in the COVID-19 workplace. Many of our friends … [Read more...] about Back To Work: How Will Manufacturers Look? Industrial News Machinery and Equipment
Should We Apply Market Economics to Safety?By Jason Busch and Lisa Reisman July 20, 2020When prices are high, suppliers will make more of a product. Conversely, when demand drops, prices will face downward pressure, and suppliers will produce less. In the modern global supply chain world, markets have adopted even further. This is supply and demand, a fundamental tenet of economics. A Real World Image of the Market Economy To understand a classic supply and demand environment, we need look no further than the boom of hand sanitizer in recent months. Suppliers of spirits (e.g., vodka) have even converted production from booze to make it! As in all markets, if buyers are willing to pay a higher price, the production will come online to support it. Whether this means adding a second or third shift at the plants of existing producers — or new suppliers entering the competitive environment — the market will eventual … [Read more...] about Should We Apply Market Economics to Safety? Industrial News Manufacturing and Supply Chain
Manufacturing and COVID-19: A Survival GuideBy Jason Busch and Lisa Reisman April 5, 2020COVID-19 is the economic Black Swan event of the year (if not the decade) that no one expected. But how the US government responds to it from a policy standpoint will have as great an impact on the health of domestic manufacturing as the responses businesses take. For both policy makers and executives, navigating these volatile and uncertain times may be a week-to-week challenge; or it could last months or quarters. No one knows yet. In this month’s Publisher’s Page, we first share some of the highlights that NAM (National Association of Manufacturers) provided in a recent policy statement on COVID-19. Then we provide our own tips which we are advising our manufacturing clients on in terms of managing uncertainty and volatility in their own businesses. NAM divides their policy and business recommendations into five groups. The … [Read more...] about Manufacturing and COVID-19: A Survival Guide Industrial News Manufacturing and Supply Chain