How to find Alternate Supply Sources for Your Construction Business amidst the COVID-19 Crisis

As the COVID-19 crisis continues, one of the most important socio-economic concerns is how to maintain supply chains so that they can meet the needs of a world transformed by an ongoing – and unprecedented – health pandemic.

No matter your industry, your operations have probably been affected by the sudden and swift changes required to contain the spread and implement new health and hygiene standards. And this includes building construction.

With supply chains disrupted, the use of normal channels for the distribution and delivery of building materials, like scaffolding, needs to be significantly rethought. As a solution, businesses should not only consider local suppliers for alternate sources of building materials but also re-strategize their operations in response to the health crisis.

Below, we discuss how to do that as we all face an extraordinary challenge.

Accept this is the new normal

Yes, COVID-19 is a steep learning curve, but now’s the time to understand how you can build up your business capacity to weather any crisis. While no one predicted a global health pandemic, industries have long been working with the awareness of climate change, for example, and the need to adopt environmentally friendly operations and source reusable energy and materials.

Take a look at how large-scale industries are using technology to predict ecological changes in order to be prepared with responsive, futuristic strategies that protect and strengthen their supply chains.

Know your supply chain inside out

While it might not make sense to launch new projects right now, you can use this time to conduct aggregate analyses of different points along your global supply channels. Knowing what’s happening in the world and when – whether these are political, climatic, or health-related fluctuations – means you can plan alternative sourcing paths.

This kind of mapping allows you visibility into your business’s dependencies and vulnerabilities, meaning you can mitigate risk in advance, and come up with viable alternative plans that keep your business strong.

Research your local economy

A unique crisis, such as the novel coronavirus, means you’re going to have to think closer to home and ask yourself how your business can make use of the resources in your vicinity. Previously, with access to a global supply chain, your business probably had multiple and diverse options for technologies, prices, and brands. Now it’s important to re-strategize and explore your local economy.

Remember, the suppliers and distributors around you are going through many of the same shifts, while they also try to understand and respond to new customer demands. This could mean there are new opportunities for you to find excellent partners to help your business through this period of change.

Have patience

The truth is the world is still trying to figure out how to manage and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, including governing leaders, policy analysts, medical researchers, and health care practitioners – and businesses. There is a lot of uncertainty around the multiple impacts of this health crisis, and how to control and solve them. For this reason, it’s important to take measured day-by-day decisions, and rethink sound business strategies for the near future.

For more information about how construction supply chains can survive the ongoing health crisis, contact SSF here.