Kickstart: Opening lines of communications to survive a pandemic

When the coronavirus pandemic spread into North America, the auto industry — like many others — was forced to shut down almost completely, with the exception of emergency work to make medical equipment.

But so far, it has managed both the shutdown and the work of starting back up. Our sister paper Automotive News writes that to make it work, the industry had to create strong communication links between different companies in the supply chain.

"Suppliers were sharing their lessons learned on how they were able to find solutions," Shilpan Amin, vice president of purchasing and supply chain at General Motors Co., told AN. GM's suppliers allowed the automaker to share their operating ideas with other suppliers.

For resin supplier DSM Engineering Materials Inc., industry town halls provided perspective and planning help.

"When you have something so big and massive going down for eight weeks and then starting up bit by bit — trying to get a handle on that was extremely difficult," Mahoney said. "Being able to map where your product ends up is essential."

But don't write the "happily ever after" ending yet. Dietmar Ostermann, of consulting firm PwC, says many suppliers are still reeling. The industry still needs $20 billion in liquidity to stave off larger issues in the supply chain, Ostermann said.

Ostermann estimates that more than 30 suppliers in North America are distressed, or in the financial "danger zone."

Rotomolder Horizon Manufacturing Group LLC began in 2012 with two used machines. It's now up to 10 machines (and 85 employees) and is growing in ways that both improve its production flow and support customers.

"It seems like a lot of our customers have been challenged with space constraints for themselves, so this gives us good production flexibility to continue to manufacture and level-load our production schedules," General Manager Keith Krausse told PN's Sarah Kominek. "It gives them a certain comfort level that we have that product to pull."

The company in Lake Mills, Wis., also developed its own product for the consumer market: an insulated bed cover for the Polaris Ranger UTV. Speaking as a true Wisconsin resident, Krausse noted that the bed is great for ice fishing, when you need to keep your bait fresh, but not frozen.

And while we're on the subject of fishing, BoatUS Foundation is looking for good ideas on how to easily capture, recycle or reuse recreational fishing gear such as lines and soft lures.

The Recast & Recycle Contest is offering up to $15,000 for the best idea on making a more sustainable environment for anglers and the waterways they use.

"Whether it's monofilament line, braided line or soft baits, we want there to be a sustainable, large-scale solution to keeping it out of our waters and our landfills where it can remain a problem for birds and wildlife," BoatUS Foundation Director of Outreach Alanna Keating said.

There's no limit on who can enter the contest, but the judges will add weight to "contest submissions that actually work, are practical, innovative, and have the potential to have a significant impact. We really don't know where a breakthrough could materialize," she added.

The contest will be open until May 2021.