MA
AININ FEATURE
drain TRADER
Article written by Ian Clarke
ian@nodigmedia.co.uk
It has always been said that ‘Necessity is the mother of invention’. In the current climate this could perhaps be reworded as ‘Adversity is the mother of invention’. With the world having lived with the coronavirus ‘Covid-19’ for the best part of a year (by the time you read this) and many of the countries affected by it having already experienced or in the process of experiencing the predicted second wave of the pandemic, it is perhaps time to have a look at what might be called by some the positive aspects of the disease, not that there are many for those that had to go through the worst of the crisis with the loss of loved ones.
ADAPTABILITY
It has long been acknowledged that the human condition is highly adaptable to change, particularly when it needs to be. If humans were not, then as a species, we would not be where we are today in terms of technological development. Just lately it has been very much evident that this need to adapt has been pushed to the fore.
Despite lockdowns, personal restrictions, group activity restrictions and similar that have been imposed (may still be imposed as you read this) by Government to keep us all as safe as possible in the current circumstances, the need to keep certain sectors running has been a no-brainer. This is as true for sectors such as the water/wastewater, waste disposal, power, telecoms and food supply industries as it has been for emergency services and hospitals.
Without these key work areas there would ultimately be a complete meltdown let alone lockdown of society as fresh water and food supplies ran dry, wastewater and other waste
materials failed to get effectively removed and the lights went out.
One particularly key area that has for many years ensured that all of these systems underpinning human society keep working is communication. Ensuring that management know where crews are, what they are doing and when they will be finished is one thing, but with the current situation also knowing if they are in an area of high Covid risk is also important. This ensures that once a crew is assigned that they will be equipped with the right level of PPE to complete the job safely and the correct number of personnel to keep the site safe.
On the other hand there is also the need to keep information flowing not just on the disease itself but the methodologies that are being planned and employed to cope with the circumstances found on the ground. It is also important to keep the workforce and particularly the management up to date on the latest technologies to ensure that crews operate the safest techniques available with minimal inter-personal contact on site.
For the past few decades one of the simplest ways for companies to ensure that the latest information was kept close to hand was to attend trade shows (en-mass where possible) to see first-hand the latest technology and to talk to the developers and experts in that area to get best use of equipment or simply buy new or upgrade existing systems. Furthermore most if not all companies rely quite heavily on inter-personal contact between the sales engineers and product development teams and clients to ensure that the products are known in the market, that they meet ever changing client needs and that the
4 drain TRADER | November 2020 |
www.draintraderltd.com
manufacturer/distributors after sales service is effective.
This year this has not been an effective option with limits on numbers gathering and travelling and the need to keep those that do gather socially distant from each other to minimise potential cross-infection. Most if not all trade shows across all industry sectors have been cancelled or postponed to new dates in 2021 (provided the new dates do not still run up against ongoing restrictions).
Many trade organisations have also been affected by the crisis in that most usually operate their own events to meet the information demand or work in conjunction with professional event organisers to present their industries to those that matter. This is not only to inform the clientele but also often they raise much needed funds to ensure the continued work of the organisations in question.
So this begs the question how have industries, companies, event organisers and trade organisations adapted to meet the suddenly changed world of commerce and communication?
MAKING THEMOSTOF SYSTEMS AVAILABLE
For the past decade or two one of the main growth areas across the world has been digital interaction. With the growth in Social Media many companies and organisation have used these outlets to inform interested parties potential customers and even existing customers of events product update and new releases and projects that have been undertaken. But in the industries we deal with, as opposed to the direct product selling
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