As the threat of COVID-19 evolved from what could be a damaging regional issue into a worldwide crisis, economic productivity plummeted, manufacturing was halted, retail activity stopped and work offices closed as Governments tried to preserve the long-term prosperity by locking down countries and freezing its economy in the short-term.
The COVID-19 pandemic has created one of the most severely challenging environments ever to operate in. There has been no individual or business that has not been impacted over the past year as the virus has spread across the globe. As the threat of COVID-19 evolved from what could be a damaging regional issue into a worldwide crisis, economic productivity plummeted, manufacturing was halted, retail activity stopped and work offices closed as Governments tried to preserve the long-term prosperity by locking down countries and freezing its economy in the short-term.
This, of course placed intense financial pressure on organisations whom had been dealing with the fallout of geopolitical tensions (the trade war between USA and China being the most prominent) before the pandemic struck, the fluctuating levels of manufacturing taking place across the globe and towards the end of the year, there was the culmination of Brexit.
As the political sparring continued all the way to Christmas Eve, a deal was eventually struck and on January 1st, the new-Brexit rules took effect. With some strongly voicing concerns whilst others were saying they were prepared and ready for Brexit, it is undoubtable that this situation will bring another major jolt into UK and European supply chains and add yet another pressure following the extraordinary upheaval already experienced.
Just a few weeks into this new-era and we have seen what many feared, including tailbacks at ports, regulatory troubles and a shortage of products finding their way to the shelves of supermarkets. With a deal struck so late, and as much as the industry tried to ensure preparedness, this was always going to be a complex mechanism to navigate and it is far too early to be making assessments as to the long-term impact of Brexit but we can clearly see that this will cause havoc for many in the supply chain during the course of the next 12 months.
