Words matter

I am sure that there was a period in the last two years when a count was kept on how many times the word unprecedented would be used in a week. That filter quickly narrowed down to daily usage and latterly into just one meeting or even a report. It seems the use of the adjective is indeed unprecedented! 

Adjectives tethered to these times and occasions include agile, resilient, adaptable, flexible and supple. Strategic documents, board meetings, emergency and mandatory reviews are all garnished with a vocabulary that expresses a collective determination to survive or thrive.

In our industry of fasteners (fastening, noun, a device that secures something) the pressures of raw material and freight costs, lead times, anti-dumping duties, microchip shortages, labour availability, legislation and compliance, disrupted supply chains and rising energy costs all converge.

This convergence is met head on by major changes in technology combined with, and partly driven by, a concerted political will to see skies brighter, air cleaner and humanity healthier in all its forms.

Seminal, by definition, is not a frequently used word and typically is a judgement based on looking to the past.

At this juncture in time it is hard to believe that these frenetic activity levels combined with the pace and scale of change, leaving many firms in our industry gasping for breath and asking “what next?”, can be described as anything other than seminal.

There is no immunity here at TR from these factors, but we have developed our countermeasures while finessing our strategic intentions to adapt.

Focusing on recruiting functionally appropriate resources to support compliance and our continued expansion, while significantly investing in our global manufacturing footprint and supply chain partners to reduce supply chain risk and enhance our product offering. Blend this approach with resilience (noun, the capacity to recover from difficulties, toughness) and we find that hybrid working, remote communication and a lack of in-person contact are no barriers to outstanding teamwork.