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April 2022
Two-and-a-half years have passed since the last interlift. Since then, the challenges for companies have increased enormously. First came the Corona pandemic, then the supply bottlenecks and price increases for material.
We asked several entrepreneurs as examples about how they mastered the pandemic and supply bottlenecks and for a brief reply. The result was a subjective retrospective and a small, current snapshot of the mood of the lift sector.
Question: What has changed in your company as a result of the Corona pandemic and the supply bottlenecks/price increases for material?
Corona pandemic: From a business perspective, the pandemic only had a slight negative effect on Amphitech Germany. Personal customer contacts were not possible for a lengthy period and communication had to be handled by telephone, product or service presentations via digital media. Fortunately, we did not have any Corona-related personnel losses and were always able to provide our customers with adequate support.
Supply bottlenecks/price increases for material: Like many other sectors, we faced supply bottlenecks, particularly in the semiconductor area, since supply chains failed, not just due to Corona. We managed to counteract this through forward-looking stockpiling with components and to date have been able to deliver at all times. Fortunately, we succeeded in avoiding price increases due to material shortages up to the third quarter of 2021 and then kept them to a very moderate scale.
Ralf Kaib, sales manager Amphitech Germany
Corona pandemic: Covid19 has changed our world in so many ways. The companies have start to think about remote work, virtual onboarding, work from home policies, work from home accessibility and also employee benefits. However, us as Giovenzana Int. B.V. company, since the starting of the pandemic situation we have been able to manage these new strong conditions. We were able to keep working and producing, serving all our customers with no delays. Of course, we have been doing this with the priority of our staff health condition. As a company we took all the necessary actions to protect and let our staff work in a safe and healthy environment.
Supply shortages/ price increases for material: We have been affected by supply chain and supply shortage and raw material increases, as all the world has been affected. However, with our 70 years’ experience in production and our strong relation with our suppliers, I can say we have been much less affected compared to other companies. We were forced to increase and update all our selling price is according to new raw material and transportation costs. All our customers were well understanding and accepted the new increased prices because everyone was well knowing the reasons of the sudden price increase policy.
Mehmet Resit Karakaplan, Sales and Marketing Director at Giovenzana
Corona pandemic: We have further expanded our supplier base and concluded new strategic partnerships that reinforce our logistics processes. The Corona crisis enhanced our creativity in looking for new solutions, which strengthened us overall as a company.
Supply bottlenecks/price increases for material: Of course, we were also forced to adjust to the market situation, but thanks to our broad product range and our close cooperation with our suppliers, we were also able to keep the price adjustments well below the customary average in the sector.
Joachim Wollnert, managing director Hissmekano
Corona pandemic: During the Corona pandemic, we noticed: work in home office works and we will continue to exploit the opportunities offered by smart working beyond the pandemic era. On the other hand, we became even more aware of the necessity of personal contacts: virtual get-togethers are no substitute for direct personal exchanges.
Supply bottlenecks/price increases for material: It has become apparent that having reasonable inventories makes a great deal of sense. Thanks to an early increase in our inventories and our purchasing activities, which went beyond our actual supply chain, we did not have any supply difficulties and managed to maintain our usual short delivery times.
Volker Hager, CCO Hydroware (and managing director Hydroware Deutschland)
Corona pandemic: I know that one day we will tell people that the virus caught us very unprepared, but that it set in motion processes of change, such as the home office arrangement, online meetings, etc. We are proud to have mastered this mammoth task. To compensate for the many contact restrictions and also cancellations of trade fairs, we used our new Promo Tourer last year – so we could once again say "hello" to our customers in person!
Supply bottlenecks/price increases for material: We are proud to have been able to maintain our short delivery times!
Martin Platt, managing director Langer & Laumann
Corona pandemic: First of all, the high capacity utilisation of our sector has not changed in our company either - in this respect, the pandemic has (so far) only affected us to a limited extent in economic terms. As an employer, it has been necessary since the beginning of the pandemic to deal primarily with subjects that had been completely unknown previously. For us as a small family company, it was a challenge to suddenly have to distance ourselves from our employees, suppliers and customers. We faced this challenge together and found solutions that were productive.
Supply bottlenecks/price increases for material: As an assembly company, we were very greatly affected both by supply bottlenecks as well as by price increases. We have seen price increases by suppliers of all components almost daily in recent months. The price increases have fluctuated here between 3 and 22 percent. What this will mean specifically and above all in total is something we will probably only be able to notice this year. Apart from price increases, we are battling almost daily with supply bottlenecks. All that helps here is to be flexible and adjust to the conditions. We will also master this hurdle with the help of our reliable suppliers and professional team.
Julia Mayland is authorised signatory and management assistant at Mayland Aufzüge
Corona pandemic: What also underwent enormous changes at the family company Mayr in Mauerstetten were encounters and communication. Two topics that are essential for the complex technical products. Here, the company benefited last year from the fact that digitalisation had undergone enormous development for some years in the company. Projects already underway could then be rolled out to a greater extent without lead time. This applied both to internal as well as external communication. Of course, digital communication can only supplement and not replace face-to-face meetings. Consequently, we are looking forward to seeing customers, sector participants and friends once again at the interlift.
Supply bottlenecks/price increases for material: Mayr Antriebstechnik is of course also affected by the supply bottlenecks, but we have been able to minimise failures in the supply chain through suitable, forward-looking measures. One key here were the deliveries of local markets from local production. Apart from this, cooperation and mutual support of our three production plants (in Mauerstetten, China and Poland) and equal partnerships are good principles. Thanks to local, stable and sustainable supply chains, we managed to score decisive points in the current period and achieve a good delivery performance.
Johann Eberle, Head of Sales and Marketing at Mayr Antriebstechnik
Corona pandemic: At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a great deal of uncertainty regarding the measures to be taken and the short-term and long-term effects on our sector. Happily, most of our fears have not been realised: pandemic-related personnel losses have been limited up to now thanks to home office and consistent implementation of the recommended hygiene measures. There has even been a gratifying increase in new orders.
Supply bottlenecks/price increases for material: The shattering of our supply chains is only now having a belated effect on our business and is still occupying us today. Purchasing and sales are permanently busy with reacting with the greatest flexibility and every day anew to material bottlenecks and volatile prices and working on solutions together with suppliers and customers. This binds enormous resources.
Peter Zeitler, managing director of New Lift Steuerungsbau
Corona pandemic: We became aware of how important personal customer contacts are during the Corona pandemic. We successfully implemented virtual events, but noticed they are no equivalent for direct talks. Consequently, we are pleased to be able to meet and talk face-to-face once again.
Supply bottlenecks/price increases for material: The global supply chain problems are a huge challenge for us, from purchasing and production to sales. The associated price increases are difficult for all of us to pass on. I hope we will be able to handle these problems fairly and appropriately.
Peter Fenkl, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ziehl-Abegg
Digitalpaper
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