Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1253723
26 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JUNE 2020 the shelter-in-place orders as early as June. I personally believe it is going to take a very long time for the economy to recover anywhere near where it was before the pandemic. It will defi- nitely not be a matter of days or weeks. Johnson: This is going to be our new normal, at least for a while. Has your supply chain sta- bilized, so you're getting components and parts that you need to do your job and provide your service? Badriyeh: Right now, it has. I did not see a major impact on material availability in the short-term. We are a small company, and our material requirement is small compared to large contract manufacturers and other, larger companies with greater demand. But if this is going to continue for a while, we may see a greater impact later. We know that manufacturing will not return to normal in most areas for a long time. For us, the ongoing pressure of working under these circumstances will continue to affect produc- tion for a while. A lot depends on how the country moves through this pandemic. China went into lockdown in December 2019. They were able to flatten the curve and get control of the exposure by mandating a complete shel- ter in place. We do not have the ability to do that in this country. We know that productivity has declined across the country. We expect to see the effects of this in Silicon Valley in the next few months. The larger companies will feel the impacts first and to a much greater degree. We are a small company, by comparison, so we may not expe- rience it immediately or to the same degree. I am, however, expecting to see some slowdown in the coming months. Johnson: It sounds like you're already antici- pating some changes to the supply chain long- term, or at least further out into the year. What sorts of contingency plans would you be will- ing to share here? Badriyeh: Our biggest focus has been employee safety and coming back and doing the essen- ing in small numbers by coordinating with their teams to minimize the total number on- site at any time and to maintain their distance. What has really helped is the fact that a large part of our work is internet-based. We can order materials and make payments online. Communication is supported using email and audio/video conferencing. This has been a massive relief and allows us to have employees continue to shelter in place while still allow- ing them to work in support of our custom- ers. Having the flexibility to keep employees in their homes yet continue supporting the needs of the business has been a tremendous benefit. It can be difficult at times, but we have dis- covered that with the communication tools available, generally, it is working well. Produc- tivity may slow down a bit while everyone gets used to the "new normal." Tasks may take a little longer, but the effectiveness of commu- nication does increase over time as people get used to working under these conditions. We are aware of many larger companies in our area that have already mandated that their employ- ees continue to work from home until at least the end of the year. It is not going to be a quick return to things being normal. I do not see that happening until there is a vaccine or anti-viral medication to prevent the spread or treat the symptoms of the virus. Currently, a potential vaccine is not on the horizon. Nobody knows when it might be available. It could be a year from now, or per- haps longer. There is a lot of pressure to reopen the economy as soon as possible. Locally, we are hearing that there could be some easing of It can be difficult at times, but we have discovered that with the communication tools available, generally, it is working well.