Yes, I would like to speak with someone about my packaging operation

If your business has not as yet been targeted as a high priority for one of the many stimulus initiatives rippling across the globe — don’t despair. The trends driving the public sector will also be driving private enterprises until the economy rights itself. Identifying those trends, and analyzing the ability of your own processes and methodologies to align with them, will separate the winners from the losers in the months ahead.

For today, the near-universal watchword is retrenchment. As defined by the Fourth Edition of the American Heritage Dictionary, retrenchment is “a cutting down or back; a reduction.” No doubt, most businesses are trying to do more with less these days. Companies are reducing operating budgets, while simultaneously putting more energy into emerging markets, fortifying existing customer relationships, and reducing their investment in shrinking markets. Retrenchment calls for reducing costs in order to assure long-term prosperity. The challenge, however, is to discover methods of cost reduction that will position your business for rapid rebound when sanity returns to the marketplace.

Capital investments in automation may seem counterintuitive during an economic downturn. Yet, automation has the distinct advantage of providing a speedy return on investment through the immediate reallocation of labor, while offering significantly improved productivity when the economy rebounds and augmenting capacity again becomes a priority. In addition, newer automation technologies can reduce overall material, maintenance, and utility costs for a competitive advantage in the short- and long- terms.

A logical first step in successfully adapting to today’s new economy is partnering with experts to assess which of your processes are most capable of delivering economic benefits through automation. A thorough evaluation of the automation potential of your business should take many factors into account, including functional compatibility, flexibility, reliability, environmental considerations, and financial reward. It is important to work with specialists who have sufficient experience and commitment to help you achieve your business objectives. By taking advantage of any short-term slow down to reassess what you are doing and how you are doing it, smart businesses can reposition themselves for a new century of growth and opportunity.