Page 17 - BOSS Today Issue 48

SPECIAL REPORT BOSS Today #48

monitor risers growing by nearly 50%. particularly toilet rolls, and cleaning
Sales of wrist supports took off as well, paraphernalia such as hand sanitisers
and we also saw an increase in demand and wipes.”
for cleaning products for keyboards and More recently, Fellowes has seen a
work surfaces, plus personal shredders massive increase in demand for air
to meet GDPR compliance.” purifying products as businesses have
Elisabete Wells, European Channel started adapting their offices to ensure a
Marketing Manager at ACCO Brands, also safer return to the workplace.
saw a boom at the beginning of the crisis As is well known, the start of the UK “Our supply chain had to be
in “laptop and monitor stands, as well as lockdown heralded widespread panic
mice and keyboards – all the essentials buying which cleared many stocks, a flexible, our manufacturing
to start working from home – as well situation that was initially worsened by sites had to be agile and our
as organising products like storage tightened supplies from China. However,
boxes, magazine files and letter trays. after 4-6 weeks, supply caught up and marketing had to be fast”
Afterwards, we saw a surge of home the panic buying subsided, and a glut Elisabete Wells,
ergonomics products as home workers of some products is now seeing prices ACCO Brands
realised they needed to be comfortable fluctuate accordingly.
and that kitchen chairs were not cutting Indeed, Wells reports that maintaining
it!” supply has been challenging: “Our Becoming Agile
European manufacturing facilities One result of the supply shortage was
Switching To Ink have been opened and adapted their that Commercial Group forged 18 new
Andrew Stacey, Purchasing Director of production patterns to the changing direct supply relationships for products
Commercial Group, also saw a dramatic demand. We have had to get some in the highest demand, which have
increase in demand for “single desks, products from the Far East via train fundamentally changed the company’s
pedestals and chairs. In the home instead of the usual sea freight in order way of doing business, as Stacey explains:
working technology piece, demand for to get them quicker. We reviewed our “Just in terms of speed of process, where
laptops, webcams and inkjet printers entire stock profile (across 9 brands, we find a supplier who has product
increased to the point where the print 10 product categories, 4,000 products) available, we have to get the details out to
manufacturers were running short of and prioritised home working products. our sales people immediately, get all the
ink, because businesses were switching Our supply chain had to be flexible, our paperwork (and payment, if it’s payment
massively from buying toner for their manufacturing sites had to be agile up front) sorted out and get the products
office printers to ink for home use. and our marketing had to be fast at ordered all within an hour, as opposed to
However, it was cleaning/sanitising adapting our product/brand offering and weeks using the traditional methods. We
products that saw the greatest increase, marketing materials.” have had to become so much more agile.”

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