Topic: Disruption

As I enjoyed the season's festivities with my family, I couldn't help but notice the sad unraveling of Southwest Airlines and the issues that resulted in more than 15,000 canceled flights in one week, inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of customers (even a bride who missed her own destination wedding (1)). I wondered if, when we say, "Have a Prosperous New Year," should we really add, "but don't hurt others as you do"?

It's common to believe that implementing a new solution will fix supply chain issues. But new software alone isn't the answer – especially now. While few businesses came through the pandemic unscathed, some fared better. We can learn from their success and use that knowledge to create supply chains that stand up to the harshest economic conditions.

Many distributors struggled in the COVID-19 pandemic. But that is old news. What’s interesting – and important – now is to look at how distributors reacted and adapted to a suddenly (and fundamentally) changed business environment, determine the lessons learned from the unprecedented disruption, and identify the changes required to be ready for the (inevitable) disruptions to come.

As the industrial equipment manufacturing (IEM) industry rumbles through the remainder of a challenging 2021, headed for a potentially more successful 2022, we asked one of Ultra’s most experienced manufacturing consultants what smart IEM companies need to know to thrive in today’s fast-changing marketplace.

In the fourth of a four-video series, economist Dr. Christopher Kuehl and Ultra Senior Consultant Dave Lechleitner discuss the potential for a manufacturing jobs recovery, the persistent skilled labor shortage and ongoing job training challenges.

In the third of a four-video series, economist Dr. Christopher Kuehl and Ultra Senior Consultant Dave Lechleitner discuss pandemic-driven marketplace changes, the potential for a mid-summer return to services buying and a possible downturn for consumer products (and more).