How fabricators can continue to survive the pandemic - 0 views
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nbakir on 07 Oct 20The article by Conrad and Branton (2020) focuses on the need for technological changes in the metal fabrication industry as a means of compensating for the declined operations for metal manufacturing companies. The article's data was collected from a sample of 330 individuals from the metal manufacturing industry, from different demographical groups. While focusing on the current coronavirus pandemic, Conrad and Branton (2020) note that approximately 90% of people are affected by the pandemic, with 60% being directly or severely affected. The resulting effect is noted as the reduction in the companies' productivity, resulting in dormancy or loss of investments. Approximately 70% of businesses are recorded as expecting lower sales for the year 2020, with 90% registering declined sales in the food and beverage industry. Conrad and Branton (2020) provide that, in solving the issue of dipped productivity and sales, companies may focus on improving their strong points. This focus may be aimed at the issue of uncertain demand in the market, resulting in the need for more effective product mixes. On the other hand, they may focus on meeting the specific customer need through partnerships with vendors. The proposed strategy, in this case, is adopting the Design for Manufacturability (DFM) framework. This means organizing and automating the entire manufacturing process, retaining only the most relevant members of staff. Further, this focuses on standardizing the products to serve multiple purposes, making them easier to manufacture in bulk. The article further provides that approximately 34% of manufacturing companies have considered automation to increase quality and productivity (Conrad and Branton, 2020). Moreover, such aspects as marketing may also be considered in the redesign process. Overall, the article provides that businesses cannot exercise laxity by waiting for normalcy to return, but must be innovative and adapt to the changes in order to survive.