The international technology distributor put comprehensive protocols in place to keep workplaces safe while keeping goods flowing internationally during the lockdown.
Kevin Brzezinski, SVP of Operations, commented: “In normal times, we take the logistics of the supply chain – getting products from A to B – for granted. In the pandemic, this suddenly became mission-critical. Ultimately, it’s the efforts of our teams that kept the supply chain moving. But having a robust business continuity and digital-first, data-driven approach has also proved critical.”
After border closures became a reality, the reduction in global air traffic led to a decrease in air freight capacity and increase in prices. Many of Westcon-Comstor’s vendors rely on these for their thousands of suppliers and just-in-time delivery models. This, along with truck driver shortages affecting transcontinental road freight, led to delays in production due to missing critical components, and, more importantly, to increased congestion at major ports across the globe.
Brzezinski continued: “This illustrates how closer partnerships and collaboration could play an even more important role in the future. No single stakeholder can solve supply-chain problems or transform the supply chain on their own. We are all in this together. There is no doubt that we will take the opportunity to work closely with all our partners to ensure we collectively adapt and evolve. COVID-19 has exposed the reliance on human interactions and lack of visibility, data and flexibility, so the supply chain of the future will be more agile, flexible and adaptable to complex dynamic environments and disruption.”
The safety of Westcon-Comstor’s people was its top priority, and the company put comprehensive protocols in place to keep workplaces safe, including daily cleaning of logistics centres, deep sterilisation cleans at the weekend, and securing adequate PPE to safeguard our teams in such a demanding environment.
Brzezinski praised Westcon-Comstor’s Operations teams: “I’ve seen courage, resilience, commitment, agility, flexibility, cooperation and support for each other, and humility when called upon to rise to the most demanding health crisis of our time. They’ve stayed late, come in on the weekends to support the Nightingale Hospital in London and other hospitals, sent deliveries to support emergency medical equipment, and gone above and beyond to help keep key businesses and governments operational. I couldn’t ask for more. This pandemic has unified our business and created an even closer, more forward-looking team.”
