With the Corona pandemic, ‘de-globalization’ came sooner than expected. Not because it had not already begun, but it got a turbo injection. Those companies that have been far-sighted and have not had their entire production in countries where labour is cheap, and production thus good earnings, have won a major victory during the pandemic shutdown. Companies that kept their production in Europe and/or within their own countries have not experienced huge problems during the closure, and they have been able to continue to service and provide both loyal customers and the many new customers who have now turned to them.
The entire idea of globalization has therefore become less profitable and less attractive in recent months. In one fell swoop, Covid 19 has shown us how fragile globalization is, not only in relation to pandemics but also in relation to supply chains. Globalization thus leaves a new footprint on ‘profit’ – is it profitable?
Before the Corona crisis, one third of the world’s industry came from China. As a result of the effects and shutdowns due to the pandemic, the future market will now be affected by the ‘de-globalization’.
The WILLBRANDT Group has always kept production and know-how within borders of Europe. WILLBRANDT Gummiteknik A/S, the Danish subsidiary of the German-owned Willbrandt group, have strong relationships with all colleagues around Germany, and is firmly connected in network with all European suppliers and contacts.
WILLBRANDT in Denmark, as well as WILLBRANDT KG in Hamburg, stock both finished products and raw materials, so production has been in progress continually and the WILLBRANDT Group has, without problems, been able to supply its customers during the entire pandemic.
That ‘de-globalization’ has already seen the light of day, at a much slower pace and long before the Corona pandemic showed its face, is due to rising labour costs in China and other countries. The rise from a low class to the middle class has an impact on the global market.
In a time like this, we return to the process of digitization and automation, as well as the idea of keeping production local, to secure the company’s future career. Outsourcing is – with the circumstances of the past six months – no longer as attractive as it used to be.
With globalization, there have always been opportunities and risks. We do not necessarily see risks when the opportunities market is open and we can draw positively on the gain.
Globalization IS an opening of the world – not only in terms of production and economy – but also in knowledge and technology, so in no way should the ‘treasure chamber’ be closed completely.
Globalization also contributes to Denmark being one of the richest countries in the world. However, we must take care of the economy and we must take care of each other. We should still be a part of the competition, but we need to be resilient against pandemics, economic crises and the like.
The Covid 19 pandemic is neither the first nor the last crisis we have seen affecting the Danish / European business.
“Our competitiveness during the epidemic has without any doubt been, that we have not had delivery problems and have actually ‘just’ been able to do business as usual,” says Johnny Anekjær, CEO at WILLBRANDT Gummiteknik A / S.
“We have production and warehousing here in Denmark and in Germany and have not, to the same extent as so many others, been affected by the closure of the pandemic. In this way, we have been able to maintain the company’s healthy economy.”
WILLBRANDT has for decades relied on good infrastructure, skill and quality. It is the company’s foundation for competitiveness and continuous growth.
“We have not been forced to lay off employees due to a decline in sales or production, on the contrary, we have hired during the Corona crisis, in order to maintain demand,” says the CEO at WILLBRANDT Gummiteknik A/S. “We have a clear advantage in situations like the one we are experiencing now, and that makes our competitiveness strong, not only in price and quality, but also in delivery time.”