Green Shoots of Recovery in Manufacturing

Welcome again to Forbes’ Manufacturing & Engineering Sector eNews and whilst times are still undoubtedly challenging, the manufacturing industry is beginning to show some signs of recovery.  Having spoken to many of our clients in this industry there appears to be a lot of positivity in looking ahead at the coming months, with good order books and appreciation for the government’s support.

Many of our clients have diversified their products and talents through the recent months to meet Coronavirus-related demands and we’ve brought a few of these tales of success together to help spread the good news.  You’ll find these below together with some sector-related articles and updates.

If you require any support and guidance at this time, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

All the best,

John Pickervance
Partner, Head of Commercial
T: 07976 257777
E: John.pickervance@forbessolicitors.co.uk

Manufacturers adapting to new working practices in the face of Covid-19 and the introduction of flexible furlough

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to sweep across the country and beyond, businesses in the manufacturing sector have faced significant operational challenges.

Whilst some businesses have closed down operations completely in response to falling demand and/or government guidance, others operating within the sector have had to react to a significant increase in demand for essential supplies such as PPE, Covid-19 testing kits, and not forgetting, at the outset of lockdown, toilet roll.

Guidance for manufacture and supply of PPE and other products for Covid-19

The Covid-19 crisis had led to extraordinary measures being taken by product manufacturers across the globe. In the UK, we have seen many businesses adapting production capability away from their usual products to help deal with the lack of supply of certain medical products and PPE. We are also seeing an increase in businesses creating new products to limit the spread of coronavirus, such as face coverings and foot operated hand sanitiser dispensers.

Dispute avoidance - how to resolve a disagreement in the supply chain quickly and painlessly

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented action to be taken by governments across the world to ensure the health and safety of its citizens. Whilst the general nature of the steps taken is similar, each nation has taken a more or less extreme approach to its neighbour. In a global market with goods being manufactured and shipped all over the world, the restrictions on working and transportation have had a significant impact on the manufacturing industry.

With most places in some form of lockdown, the effects on supply have not been felt as severely, but with restrictions being eased, the workforce returning and the demand for delivery of contracts now falling due, what happens if a business is unable to fulfil the terms of a contract because of a failure, or delay by a supplier?

How has The Senator Group adapted during COVID-19?

It goes without saying that the last few months have been an incredibly challenging time for manufacturers, but it is encouraging to see the adaptability and resilience that many of our manufacturing clients have shown. The Senator Group are known for being great innovators so it came as no real surprise to see that they had adapted so quickly in such difficult circumstances.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Farmhouse Biscuits

Farmhouse biscuits, a manufacturer of traditional (and delicious) biscuits based in Nelson, started from a modest farmhouse in Lancashire and have since grown to become one of the country’s largest premier biscuit manufacturers. Their passion lies in tradition, and using the finest ingredients to make the tastiest products by following family recipes handed down through generations. As a traditional business they are used to operating in a traditional way and along with many other manufacturers, were quickly forced to adapt to the outbreak of coronavirus.

Speaking of the impact of Covid-19 on the operations of the business, Joanne Whalley, HR Manager, tell us that that as a business “we’ve adapted quite well to the changes we’ve had to make”.

In terms of those changes Joanne explained that “home working has been introduced in roles that we hadn’t previously considered”. “It’s brought about a new way of thinking in relation to working flexibly”. Joanne notes that this is rather a significant shift for a traditional manufacturer who in normal circumstances would tend to “shy away from having key people physically away from the site”. Joanne is confident however that the last few months have proven that as a business “we can continue to operate whilst people are working off site”.

Farmhouse Biscuits has also had to adapt to implement government guidance on safe working for food businesses. In this regard Farmhouse have “introduced temperature checks before starting work” and staff have been provided with additional PPE. “Perspex screens have been introduced on productions lines” and “social distancing measures have been put into place where possible”.

In terms of the impact of this on the workforce Joanne explained that “managers and employees alike have had to adapt to the new practices”. At the same time they have also had to “adapt to working in such a warm environment whilst wearing masks or face shields”.

Joanne notes that the biggest impact for Farmhouse biscuits has been “the absence of some key people who have had to shield” in line with government guidance and “the increased pressures that this has put on others within the workforce”. In all it has shown that as a business “we are adaptable to change and have all played our part in digging in when it’s really mattered”.

WEC Group's Innovation During COVID-19

One of our clients Lancashire-headquartered Engineering & Fabrication company WEC Group have recently heeded the national call to arms from the government for manufacturers to assist the country's response to the current COVID-19 outbreak.

They actively engaged with various stakeholders to offer manufacturing services to the new medical supply chains which were put together at the end of March 2020. In total, over 12,000 laser cut & fold assemblies were supplied to the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium with very tight deadlines. They were delivered to McLaren UK ahead of schedule, which allowed them to assemble the trolleys for the ventilators manufactured by Medical OEM Penlon.