How Can Design-Led Companies Overcome Coronavirus?

Design-led companies such as Amazon, Apple, and Disney rule the world, by some accounts. Yet even they are struggling in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, as their supply chains are disrupted and operations shuttered.

Although these companies will likely survive the coronavirus, other design-led companies may be overly reliant upon their rigid supply chains and outmoded technologies.

How can companies be more resilient to a threat such as Covid-19?

Agile Supply Chains

There has been a recent shift toward increased transparency for shipping, manufacturing, and distribution. Consumers like to know where their products are coming from and how they’re handled — especially in the age of a pandemic. And a robust understanding of these supply chains can help supply chain managers identify chinks in the chain.

Moving forward, this might help prevent the level of disruption that many companies have seen.

Remote Work Solutions

Although many factory and shipping jobs simply can’t be done virtually, remote work has emerged as a viable solution. Creative assets, project management, and design can all be done remotely, and indeed many design-led companies already have been utilizing a virtual workforce.

This means that design-led companies can lead by example; remote work may become the new normal, whenever possible.

Cloud-Based Solutions

With the rise of remote work comes a new emphasis on cloud-based technologies. Some companies are already redesigning their manufacturing platform to include cloud-based management and data analytics tools. These systems not only provide greater operational efficiency, but also promote resilience by allowing a more agile, data-based approach to management and design.

Multiple Supply Sources

There also has been a rise in multi-source supply chain management, in which companies can enjoy multiple resource streams. As various aspects of design-led companies’ supply chains are shut down due to Covid-19, it becomes ever more important to diversify your streams.

On a smaller level, this includes the remote outsourcing of design processes to virtual workers. When you look for it, there is often an innovative way to solve a problem.

Wrapping Up

As design-led companies pare down their operations or prioritize certain products or services, they must adapt to these new situations rather than throwing resources down the drain. A combination of agile supply chain development, cloud-based management, and multiple supply sources goes a long way toward establishing a company’s resilience in the face of crisis.