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PalletCentral • July-August 2020 13 Ryan Greenwood, National Accounts Manager, Crane Point Industrial COVID-19 added to a list of already rapidly changing events, including February's 25 percent tariff which created a trade war. This combination made us re-evaluate all purchasing activities, and shortly after, COVID-19 had us refining our purchases even further. We have increased our inventory levels around the U.S. to cover transportation and manufacturing delays. There were a few short-term shutdowns in India and Saudi, but the supply from Korea, Thailand and Taiwan has been very stable. Korea especially was able to isolate individuals with the virus and is currently at full production capacity. With the current conditions, the overall quantity of goods moving around the world has decreased significantly. In response to the lower number of containers, steamship lines pulled vessels out of service to make space on vessels tight. This has nearly doubled the cost of import shipping in some cases. We expect that when the U.S. gets through the pandemic, world trade will increase again. The trends of our customers are our trends. Fortunately, we learned our lessons in diversifying sources and markets over the past 20 years. As our pallet customers slowed, we have been well positioned to gain industrial customers who service the segment of people "stuck at home" who want to upgrade their surroundings. iStockphoto.com Roger Aurelio, President, New Supplies Company Our business has changed through COVID-19 from the perspective of the customers we serve and the vendors we rely upon. Some inbound shipments slowed as the world managed all the imposed COVID-19 quarantine restrictions, but seems to have gotten better as time has progressed and restrictions have been loosened. Market shifts have impacted our business through the customers we serve. All our customers continue to produce wood packaging at some level. Those that serve businesses that provide goods such as food, agriculture products, and even home recreation items, are staying busy. Customers that serve industries such as the automotive industry have seen a big drop in business. We believe that the market will be cautious and competitive going forward as there remains lingering uncertainty about what happens next. Many manufacturers will continue to struggle, yet others will hold steady and with it comes the need for products delivered with wood. Business leaders will no doubt find new ways to remain competitive by challenging suppliers of all types to find ways to save them money. These strange and unusual times are filled with uncertainty and we are thankful that we are positioned to handle such times. Opportunities have presented themselves with new customers and with existing customers in new ways, and it is simply because we have remained open to serve our customers while also focusing on safety. The global pandemic brings with it opportunities, trends and challenges. Here are how some companies have adapted to the current business climate to serve the wooden pallet industry.

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