I first watched Hurricane Sandy develop days ago over the ocean, and remember the weather forecasters urging people to “prepare” for the worst storm in over a hundred years.
I thought about the people and places that I have visited on the East Coast, (like Nags Head, North Carolina, just this past summer), and hoped that they would be safe through the storm.
I had a hard time believing it would actually happen.
Now that Sandy has come and gone, however, my heart goes out to those that are affected the most by their loss of homes and loved ones.
Safety, Preparedness & Electronics Manufacturing
In fact I’ve thought a lot about safety and security over the last few weeks, as I’ve been located on my (thankfully) safe perch in the Midwest with only local travel plans in the near future.
Many of us will feel relatively minor effects from Sandy, through things like the delay of the newest cell phone or tablet.
But then there are the other ripple effects and supply chain interruptions that result from this kind of disaster, like a loved one not receiving a life-sustaining medication or treatment because equipment didn’t arrive on time.
Bhawnesh Mathur, our CEO with a background in supply chain design and management, published a recent post about Creation’s Business Continuity Plan and the need for solid supply chain strategies and partners to ensure—or at least minimize—the effects of disaster.
Preparedness is one of Creation’s Core Values, and with regard to our Business Continuity Plan, being prepared means that we exercise the plan regularly and unexpectedly to keep everything and everyone up to date in this constant state of change.
Who’s Got Your Back? The Importance of a Business Continuity Plan
It’s important for your business that you and your key partners have a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan (BCP).
How far to develop any plan depends on resources and time, but most companies’ BCPs focus first on people’s safety, and then on network and data recovery and backup.
What about businesses that generate income from manufacturing products?
For companies like Creation and our OEM customers, our future depends on being able to continue to “produce” in any situation.
After the safety of people, data and components, I suspect the last things most EMS companies think about are the buildings and equipment that actually produce their products. It’s definitely not cost-effective to have extra buildings and equipment sitting idle waiting for a disaster.
But what if you had a partner with a global footprint, with each location running at no more than 80% capacity, on shared business systems, and with similar equipment and certifications?
A partner who, by design, created this model to ensure their customers, and their customers’ customers, would feel minimal impact from a disastrous event?
Would that not be the premier Business Continuity Plan?
At Creation, that’s what our model and footprint offer. We have our customers’ backs.
Riding Out The Storms
With the news that a significant Nor’easter is now developing off the coast of the Carolinas, I have my fingers crossed. Let’s also hope we do not see a Tony, Valerie or William this year. But, if we do, I’m heading to my brother’s where there’s 3 months of supplies and generators on hand.
It’s good to have family, friends and business partners who are prepared and there for you to help ride out the storms of life…and have your back when you need it most.
Do you have a Business Continuity Plan? Do your supply chain partners?
