Episode 9: Can Manufacturing Recover From The Pandemic?

For manufacturers, the prospect of planning a post-pandemic recovery is intimidating. Over a million industry jobs were lost in April 2020 alone, as demand dropped to shocking lows. Analysts project varying visions for the future; while some believe the industry will recover as soon as the pandemic is under control, others predict a much longer timeline.

This uncertainty only generates more questions for manufacturers. Will they be able to hire back those who were laid off? Should they put their costly digital transformation plans on hiatus, to save money? In this episode, Chris Henry sits down for an interview with Tim Gallen, the formal global CEO of Arc International, to learn what lies ahead for the manufacturing industry.

During their interview, the pair consider: 

2:18 — Why the pandemic may not have as immediate or transformative an effect on the manufacturing sector as people think

6:15 — The managerial challenges that manufacturing leaders will need to face as they adapt to the pandemic

10:00 — The ramifications manufacturers will need to take into consideration if they opt to restructure or repatriate their supply chains post-Covid

15:02 — Whether manufacturers should put their digital transformations on hold to save money during the pandemic 

Episode Guest:

Tim Gollin

CEO, Arc International

Tim Gollin is the former CEO of Arc International, a global manufacturer of glass and tableware. He has several decades of experience working in the manufacturing industry as a corporate leader and has successfully spearheaded several digital transformations.