Why Has Covid-19 Encouraged The Domestic Production of Critical Machined Components?
17 November 2020In the middle of a viral pandemic, you simply can't afford to waste time and energy by waiting too long. You can't run the risk of moving anything that might harbour or transport pathogens across tight borders and lockdown zones. It's also crucial to support your local manufacturers during lockdown - without orders to keep them going, many may have to scale back or shut down, once lockdown has finished for good.
It's for these reasons and many more that companies who need to source precision components for their equipment and products are localising their supply chains to cope with COVID-19. Sourcing critical parts from closer to home allows you to streamline and speed up your company's manufacturing supply chains, keeping productivity and morale high during these unpredictable times for the UK and the world.
Why Domestic Manufacturing?
With the majority of overseas shipping and manufacturing being delayed or disabled entirely by the global Coronavirus outbreak, UK manufacturers have returned to their roots.
Globally, a smaller pool of workers and fewer shipping opportunities (particularly with air freight) has made outsourcing tricky to find and often prohibitively expensive. Overseas shipping also carries with it a hefty wait time - a severe issue for time-critical parts in countrywide demand (such as valves and tubing used in medical and resuscitation equipment).
By sourcing parts within the United Kingdom and shipping solely by road, already tight production schedules can be shaved down dramatically. It's far easier to pool industry expertise by using a solely British network of firms. Limiting long-distance freight as much as possible also helps to keep the worldwide spread of COVID-19 under control.
Staff expertise can also transfer between companies and group projects set up with ease. New tools such as the UKMfg Unite inter-industry online network have already started to shape the future of manufacturer collaboration in the UK.
By relaying information about neighbouring, useful contacts and companies to manufacturers, a more robust, streamlined chain of makers and creators can be segmented into full, UK-exclusive production lines.
The new focus on local manufacturing has already aided critical medical projects. The Ventilator Challenge UK consortium developed a new model of ventilator through friendly, internal competition and resource sharing that has been made available to hospitals and surgeries worldwide.
UK-Based Drilling, Honing, Boring And Finishing From Hone-All
If you're a UK company looking for precision machining such as deep hole boring, deep hole drilling, honing and finishing closer to home, Hone-All can help.
We specialise in manufacturing high precision, close tolerance and superb-quality metal components for oil and gas, defence and aerospace supply chains and custom-built hydraulic systems and assemblies.