Across the board, markets are bouncing back, especially in Europe. A cautious consensus among economic researchers prevails; they expect that economic development is going to be positive in the second half of 2020. In fact, significant growth rates have even been forecast for the year ahead. At PALFINGER, we are very happy to be able to confirm that our current order levels match what they were at the end of 2019. That’s good news and news that we’ve all been needing to hear.
Such good news is important because unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic is going to be around for the foreseeable future. Every day in the news, we see how quickly clusters can appear and how things can worsen overnight. Nothing is over yet!
Safety is Routine for Us
PALFINGER works very hard to make sure that all health and safety regulations are complied with. Safety has always been our code, not ringing the alarm! Implementing safety procedures on work premises, such as monitoring of employee temperatures and mask-wearing, are done to keep everyone safe. It is simply what needs to be done, for as long as it takes, until we can be sure that the coronavirus is no longer a threat.
Lasting Changes
What exactly does that mean for us? In daily work at production plants, for example, it means having employees strictly practice physical distancing. For colleagues working in offices, it goes without saying that teleworking is now a given. Whenever possible, video conferencing needs to replace business trips; not only does this lower the risk of infection, but emissions and costs are also reduced.
Driving Change
Our goal is for all of us to come out of this safe and sound, but there is one more thing; we want to emerge even stronger from the situation we find ourselves in. PALFINGER’s CEO, Andreas Klausner, clarifies, “We see COVID-19 as turbocharger that enables us to implement change even faster. That is why we are busy considering various future scenarios proactively. We are keeping our eyes on the competition to set new priorities and find operational alternatives. We are going to experience growth in sales, maintain our prices and create added value for our customers and partners”.
We are seizing this opportunity to proactively shape our tomorrow and strengthen our position globally.
