The priority: The Smooth Operation of Supply Chain Processes

Denizhan Polatoğlu, Member of Masdaf Board of Directors explains that if the pandemic crisis extends to a longer period of time, it will be the priority of the company to take the necessary measures for the proper operation of the supply chain processes so that they can deliver their products and services to their customers in time. 

 How did the pandemic that has taken hold of the entire globe affect your company and your industry? How do you manage this process, your production and supply chain in particular?

As Masdaf, the leading company in the pump industry, we manage this challenging process with the help of precautions we have taken, and with our dynamic structure that we have created in light of our values ​​and knowledge we have adopted for 43 years, and the strength we get from all our stakeholders. We continue the production of our world-class, sustainable, environmentally friendly and efficient fluid technologies thanks to our strong semi-manufactured stocks and engineering solutions, by avoiding any setbacks.

 As of 11 March 2020, the date when the COVID-19 virus was confirmed to have reached our country, we have implemented a series of measures covering our internal activities. First of all, we initiated the Home-office method for our administrative staff in order to ensure the health of Masdaf employees. We have carried all the data regarding our internal trainings and meetings to a digital environment. Since we are a company that attaches importance to digital transformation, we have observed that the investments we have made for ERP and Industry 4.0 prior to the pandemic successfully operate in the remote management processes without constraining the system performance.

 We informed all our employees on "how to protect themselves against the COVID-19 virus" via opinions from experts. By taking precautions to be able to prioritize the health of our production personnel working in our factory as well as our administrative staff, we continue production without allowing the business processes of our customers and all other stakeholders being interrupted. The pandemic also has adversely affected our industry like it has many other sectors. Ongoing construction projects within the domestic market have been stopped, many investors have decided to postpone their investments. In addition, the pandemic affected trade volume, export and import dynamics on a global scale. We continue our business activities for expanding our export markets through digital platforms due to postponed fairs, seminars and visits.

 If the pandemic crisis continues for a longer period, what is the plan B that you have prepared for your company? What are your suggestions to weather the storm without any problems?

 The "Novel Coronavirus COVID 19" pandemic was a situation nobody has been prepared for, and honestly I do not think that anyone can be ready for the situation if this process would continue for a prolonged period. However, if we encounter such a situation despite all efforts, our first priority is to ensure that our supply chain processes operate properly for timely delivery of our products and services, thus to take the necessary precautions. At this point, we also experience the advantages of being a local brand in product supply.

Should the pandemic stretch over a prolonged period, companies with a strong and sustainable supply chain will be advantageous both in exports and within the domestic market. That is why the proper operation of our supply chain is very important to us. Another important issue is the price hikes during this difficult period. We should always keep in mind that the attitude of companies during the pandemic will be remembered in the post-pandemic period, as the price hikes in such a period will weaken the customer's perception of the companies. It is important for the manufacturers to focus on R&D studies that will enable them to offer value-added products and services during this period, and on studies that mitigate the possible effects of the virus.

I think that companies that adapt to digitalization during and after the pandemic are going to make a difference. Enterprises need to develop methods for remote management of their products, and to adopt their internal processes and production technologies to the Industry 4.0 infrastructure. Because the virus environment restricts the mobility of individuals and makes it necessary to manage the product remotely.

What do you think will change within the business world? This period shows us that digitalization and online trainings become much more important. Does your company work on these issues or will you increase your studies in this fields?

As I mentioned before, companies that adapt to digitalization processes during this period will gain the the competitive advantage. Specifically for Masdaf, we have designed our way of doing business in many areas from marketing to production in accordance with the requirements of digitalization. We carried the data of the trainings we organized within the scope of Mas Academy, which we established in 2017, to the digital environment together during the pandemic and we started to organize online interactive trainings. Our training programs so far have attracted a lot of attention.

In this period of home-office due to the social isolation process, technology usage has increased and social media channels have gained importance. And as Masdaf, we started to use our social media accounts in more active ways to inform our business partners. We regularly inform our stakeholders through these channels. In short, once the pandemic ends, an era of digital technology will begin and the strategies that brands follow in this period will have an impact on consumer perception.

 What do you do for recreational purposes during the pandemic? What are your bedside books, what movies do you watch or what kind of sports do you do?

 We humans are social beings and it is important for us that we can keep in contact with other people.          Nevertheless the virus environment forces us to stay isolated in our homes and prevents us from face-to-face communication with other people. Therefore, during this forced stay at home, we continue to keep in contact with our teams, friends and relatives in digital environments within the realms of possibility offered us by the technology. This situation prevents us from isolating ourselves from daily processes. Apart from this, we should develop nutritional habits that will keep us mentally alert and increase our physical resistance. In addition, we have to try to prevent our daily physical activities from being disrupted in order to maintain our quality of life.

During the pandemic, the content of online education platforms has improved and got richer. Many online resources have emerged regarding personal development, academic subjects, wellness and fitness programs. Of course, in my spare time, I do participate in self-improvement and sports training using these platforms. In addition, the pandemic also gives us the opportunity to read books that we could not find time for during our daily hassle. I am currently reading W.  Russell Neuman's "The Digital Difference". The book is about the communication structure and its dynamics during digital era.