Inside Industrial during COVID-19: Adrian May Tells All

We sat down with H&T Industrial’s Commercial Manager, Adrian May (socially distanced of course), to talk about how the last 3 months have affected H&T Industrial and as the economy begins to open up again, how HTI are positively looking towards the future.

Here is what he had to say…

Hi Adrian!

Now the UK and Europe is slowly coming out of lockdown how are you feeling about the future?
Hi there! It’s difficult to estimate business levels because even if the order book improves during Q4 then we still have Brexit raising its head again in Q1/21. That said, we are certainly seeing a small improvement in Q4 versus Q2 and Q3

What kind of an impact has COVID-19 had on H&T Industrial?
We’ve seen a decline in our order book of up to 50% and this has been fairly consistent across the many industries we serve

Did the pandemic affect your employees?
We’ve had no positive Covid-19 results from those tested, which is fantastic. Labour wise, we’ve needed to make a few adjustments by moving resource from Industrial across to our Pharma Team where the order book has been burgeoning. Having the ability to do this means we have reduced costs in Industrial avoiding the need to furlough any staff.

In terms of H&T Industrial’s response to the pandemic, would you have done anything different looking back?
No, I think the company’s response was exceptional. We already had a Pandemic Response Plan within our Management Process Portfolio which was implemented as soon as was appropriate. Those staff that could work from home did so and safety measures were installed on site for key workers, such as hand sanitisers, one-way systems, floor markings to aid social distancing and so on.  A brilliant team effort that has kept everyone safe.

Are you excited for HTI to be getting back to ‘normal’?
Very excited. As a Sales Representative, my role is to visit potential new customers and existing customers. Whilst Zoom and all the other online platforms have been a great way of staying in touch, they are no substitute for meeting people face-to-face. We are lucky in that we have amazing relationships with our customers and we’re looking forward to seeing them again.

What plans do you have in preparation for Brexit?
We have worked hard as a company to safeguard our supply chain and logistics so we’re in good shape. In my role, I’ll be talking with all of our European customers to see if they would like to build some security stock to get through any initial hiccups as we deal with new export paperwork and other regulations.

Has being a part of the Heitkamp and Thumann group benefited HTI during the pandemic?
Yes, most certainly. Presspart (part of The Heitkamp & Thumann Group) has an ethos of “1 TEAM” and this has never been more clearly visible that during this dreadful pandemic. It’s a fantastic company to work for and I feel very lucky to work here.

Are there any upcoming projects for HTI that you’re excited about?
Yes, many. Sadly, I cannot share them here as they are commercially sensitive but we are entering new industries that will bring new challenges. In this regard, we have the support of our dedicated Innovations Team to make sure we get things right first time.

Finally, after living through such an unprecedented time, name 1 thing you feel you have learnt as a result of the pandemic about H&T Industrial and about yourself.
From the day I started in the company I’ve been in awe of our Industrial division and the things we’ve achieved and the flexibility to accept change and react quickly has been remarkable. I work with the best colleagues in the world.

 As for learning something about myself – it’s less about myself and more about something new that I’ve taught myself. Using the magic of YouTube, I’ve taught myself to use a sewing machine. I haven’t quite mastered the art of making shirts or suits yet, but I can make brilliant napkins!