Many of us are happy that 2021 is behind us. But what lies ahead is unknown.
In this three-part series industry leaders have shared their concerns for the industry, advice for operators, and their COVID experiences.
Today is Part 2 of Looking Ahead – 2022. See Part 1 here and Part 3 here
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Dan Rodriguez
National Sales Manager
Meese
What are the concerns for the industry?
My concerns as a supplier to the laundry industry revolve around adapting to the new normal to ensure we are providing our customers with the service and products they have come to expect from the premier laundry cart supplier. Like everyone, our supply chain resources were significantly disrupted, labor remains an ongoing challenge, and costs skyrocketed.
What advice do you have for operators as they begin a new year?
My biggest piece of advice for operators is to plan as far ahead as possible. We have always made it our focus to provide our customers with the best service and product in the industry in a timely fashion that meets or exceeds their needs. While that remains our focus, a majority of our products are made to order to meet the special and unique needs of our customers. With ongoing global supply chain challenges, acquiring all special components or elements of a specific product in a timely fashion can be a challenge, particularly when it comes to what’s considered a lower volume order (less than a truckload of carts). Forecasting and planning for new business and communicating with your supplier partners as far in advance as possible will allow us the opportunity to prepare to service our customers at the level they have come to expect from us.
How have you overcome COVID challenges?
In general, we have worked to overcome the challenges presented by COVID by remaining focused and flexible. Whether dealing with supply chain challenges, labor concerns or cost increases, we are constantly communicating with our customer partners, internal partners, and supply chain partners to ensure we are properly addressing every challenge and maximizing every opportunity.
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Al Adcock
Vice President, Sales & Marketing
B&C Technologies
What advice do you have for operators as they begin a new year?
As we begin another year that we know will be full of challenges similar to 2020 and 2021, one of the easiest things we can do to reduce stress on employees and the business itself is to reduce equipment downtime.
Replacing a machine used to be quite simple (but costly), as manufacturing operations were operating within normal parameters. Now, with longer lead times, parts shortages, and transportation difficulties, the easiest thing we can do is to take care of the equipment that is already on site.
Preventative and predictive maintenance goes a long way to ensure that the machines will be ready to operate at peak efficiency when they are needed. Do yourself and your business a favor and read through the maintenance section of each machine’s manual and review your current maintenance procedures as compared to the manufacturer’s recommendations.
Maintenance is not a waste of time, in fact it is quite the opposite and the short time spent performing routine maintenance will be paid back with operational machinery during your busiest months ahead. Happy 2022!
