This month, we had the pleasure of attending Tampa Bay Business Journal’s State of Manufacturing virtual panel discussion. It was a highly informative session where we discovered how 5 different businesses (ranging from medium-sized to very large corporations) responded to and pivoted to the changes caused by the pandemic.

Here are 5 tips for post-COVID business from the manufacturing expert panelists:

1. Be Flexible

Being flexible during an uncertain time will have long-term benefits. It’s important be able to understand how your business works and pivot to meet that flexibility need. Find creative solutions to meet the needs of your customers and pivot to changes.

2. Come together as a team

Encourage teams to come together virtually or in-person to strengthen as a team and as a company. Use this time as an opportunity to take a harder look at the focus of the business, key initiatives, and overall journey of the business.

3. Be grateful

Be grateful and do not take anything for granted. Even though employees may not be able to do the things they used to during this time, (like vacations, events, etc…) it’s important to be grateful that you are still here and able to grow and become better.

Look to 2021 and post-COVID as an opportunity to grow.

4. Speed is more important than ever

To improve speed in the supply chain, do things that you know should be done before you need to. People often wait until things become bad to make changes and pivot. Then, when things get better, they forget to continue focusing on improvement.

There will are many supply chain disruptions in the future that we will not be able to predict. Focus on fixing and mitigating risk before the need arises.

5. Create a strong company culture

A strong culture and the power of purpose is so important for the future of a company. When you create a culture of people who care and are focused on innovating, then the sky is the limit.