Q: CutPRO® is a highly respected manufacturer and supplier of of cut resistant shirts. How did you select the range of protective clothing your company is offering now?
A: This was really not a quick process at all. It is fair to say ‘we travelled the world,’ and it was only following extensive research and thorough consultation with global industry leaders in both the flat glass and sheet metal industry, that we made the final decision on garment designs.
Q: How did you ‘manage’ during the global crisis that was Covid-19 and ultimately still is?
A: I think we learned to understand reasonably quickly that many companies around the world involved in the flat glass and sheet metal sector did not fully ‘lock down’ but rather continued to operate, but not on full capacity and most likely in a restrictive fashion due to national or regional restrictions. That meant we had to become much more efficient and precise in our approach, and communication. We had to communicate even better and research and identify what factories or facilities were still operational and how to best get in contact with those senior professionals charged with the safety of their company's workforce. Basically, the more thorough we became in our research and communication, the more effective we became in introducing our cut resistant workwear to the right people and in keeping our company going and ultimately survive the crisis and grow again.
Q: Did you continue to receive supplies from your various suppliers, and did you see a marked difference according to their geographical origin?
A: Yes indeed, we continued to receive supplies of all raw materials we required. Of course, we have certainly experienced delays at several occasions, primarily at the initial stages, simply due to lack of clear directions within all European Governments. Importing, exporting, shipping, dealing with customs, it all became a little more complex. However, honest and open communication with our suppliers made it all work. What has proven to be of great benefit is that we produce our very own high performance cut resistant fabric Cut-Tex® PRO, reducing the risk of operational problems in the manufacturing process.
Q: Do you think ‘the blame game’ over responsibility for starting this pandemic and the handling of it will influence your future decision making over suppliers from a political aspect?
A: My personal and professional opinion is that we will never really find out what happened in China and, of course, their administration’s handling of it was extremely poor to say the least. But to be clear, we have never and will not in the future utilise suppliers from that region. We believe in the fantastic capabilities within the UK and Europe. We have in the past and will always in the future continue to utilise quality and certified European raw materials. I believe others will come to realise that this is by far the safest way to operate.
Q: Relationships are bound to change following the global pandemic, especially if goods have been shipped later, or indeed if invoices were paid later than usual. Is there a way to repair the damaged relationship?
A: I believe we have been extremely fortunate. We have not experienced any major delays in payment from our customers, and our customers’ responses to delayed deliveries were full of understanding. In many ways I feel the global pandemic has made the commercial world a little more compassionate, certainly on some level.
Q: What is your vision for the future? Will CutPRO® have changed substantially?
A: CutPRO® has not and will not change. We are very humble, but equally we do believe we are the best in what we do. Quality, durability, and reliability is fundamental in our line of work. Years ago, the price of a product was the dominating factor in our customers’ decision-making progress, but I believe that has changed and will continue to change. The global pandemic has not really changed anything for us, and it will not change. However, what we have learned from our experiences is that, especially we as Senior Management, must pay even greater attention to the need of contingency planning and preparation for ’unseen circumstances’.
Q: Finally, is there anything you would like to add or anything else you would like to comment on?
A: We fully understand that many companies did not ‘make it’. For some the pressure and problems caused by the global pandemic was simply too much. It really is of foremost importance for me to point out that our CutPRO® team lead by my colleague Adie Morris has done absolutely brilliant during the last many months, which have been extremely stressful for everyone involved. For anyone keen to learn more about CutPRO® cut resistant PPE I can only invite you to get in touch with Adie, and together with his team they will take great care of you: info@cut-pro.com
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