3 minute read
Comment
from MPN NA Issue 17
by MPN Magazine
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Editor’s Comment
CORRINE LAWRENCE
REMOTE CONTROL
Hello and welcome to the Q2 issue of MPN NA. To be frank, I’ve hit the ground running. Starting a new job — learning its ways, its people, willing the unfamiliar to become familiar in as short a time as possible — although exciting, isn’t necessarily easy, particularly on a working from home basis. I’m not, however, alone.
With global travel restrictions in place, the industry has had its wings clipped in more ways than one. But rather than sit the time out waiting for life to return to normal (whenever — if ever? — that is), the medical plastics industry has pushed ahead, poking at its boundaries to discover and develop new routes to its intended destinations.
Although the curtains have been closed on in-person trade fairs, digital exhibitions have become the new normal, and seminars and conferences have been delivered via webinars. These platforms have kept many industry wheels turning. They have also provided savings, be it on dollars that would otherwise have been spent on air fares, accommodation and associated expenses (aka a fortifying cold beer at the end of the day), time, and travelrelated pollution.
Technology and digital capabilities have also facilitated the continuity of site and facility inspections, as well as machine maintenance. We have had to learn new tricks or overcome an inner reluctance to do things differently, but now that we have, and are getting better at them, why bother returning to how things were? What started off as survival tools, keeping industry rolling, may have longevity, may be our preferred option.
Yet, despite the above, people talk of looking forward to returning to in-person events, whatever they are, for the inherent component missing in online replacements. This human element provides the way for ‘gut feeling’ or instinct, which may seem odd or at a variance for an industry focused on numbers, measurements, and science. There is something reassuring about being physically present at, for example, a new machine demonstration, or holding a remodelled tool, just as there is in an in-person meeting with a potential business partner.
Now, as restrictions gradually lift allowing event organizers to throw open the doors of exhibition halls and manufacturing facilities to welcome on-site visitors, we have a choice: to go, and feel the real deal … or stay and take part online, saving time and money.
Weathering the sharp learning curve of doing things remotely, we have come to realize that this is a viable and credible alternative in instances where previously we suspected it would be ineffective. Either way, we now have the option to choose …. and I’m keen to discover which remote activities make it through to the next round of development.
