The 360' Flexibility Solution For Businesses in Challenging Times
How Pre-Met laid foundations for transformation in a difficult 3-year period
In the business world the cynics might often say, “flexibility is for the customer to demand and the supplier to comply”, whilst others state that it is, “expecting your employees to do everything asked of them without questioning anything”.
In this article we explore what Pre-Met has endured and the challenges overcome in the last 3 years. We also explore the foundations laid which allowed us flexibility in business to generate long-term sustainable growth.
Three Years Of Transformation
At Pre-Met none of the attitudes or statements mentioned in the first paragraph could be further from the truth. The last 3 years at Pre-met have evidenced transformations in culture, attitude, performance, the need for change, dealing with tough realities and getting our hands dirty.
This all happened whilst ensuring there was a strategic focus in place. It has been a true partnership embraced by all concerned; employees, management, suppliers, customers, advisors, stakeholders and investors. Transformation and change are fundamental to our business success,
“A corporation is a living organism; it has to continue to shed its skin. Methods have to change. Focus has to change. Values have to change. The sum total of those changes is transformation.”
Andrew Grove, former CEO of Intel
Challenges Overcome
The challenges for our business over a 3-year period have been phenomenal and have left many other organisations debilitated. The wide array of problems facing firms have included funding, sustainability, supply chain, credit squeeze, covid, material economics, utilities and inflation.
Nevertheless, during the most challenging times, Pre-Met and its partners have dealt, head on, with the big issues. Together we have laid a foundation which has ensured Quality, Cost and Delivery are the cornerstones of our stable and thriving business. At the heart of this success is our ability to make important decisions at the right time,
“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision”
Peter Drucker
Foundations For Flexibility
Whilst we still face the remnants of some key challenges, the foundations were laid to deal with “the big things”. This has enabled us to review all round flexibilities that we can offer, or comply with. Essentially, this means Pre-Met can weather smaller storms; in the knowledge that we can flex and navigate through to a mutual solution, when things we cannot influence, impact us more favourably. In this sense the crises the company endured, have opened up new opportunities.
“When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”
John F. Kennedy, 35th President of the USA
Long-term Sustainability
Overall, some of these factors may seem insignificant but they are in fact crucial in terms of long term sustainability. What we mean by this includes:
- continuing dialogue (whether the message is good or bad)
- doing things we wouldn’t normally do
- changing customer delivery dates
- accepting supplies when they are available and not necessarily when we want them
- bending on when we take holidays
These are a few examples of our approach to long-term sustainability.
“ When sustainability is viewed as being a matter of survival for your business, I believe you can create massive change.”
Cameron Sinclair, Serial Entrepreneur
Final Thoughts
So we would urge you as a business to ensure that you deal with the big things when you have the capacity to do so in challenging times. Also, that you have the credibility to ask, and the humility to comply, on the little things in business when it's right and appropriate to.
Our experience is that 360 degree flexibility in business will help forge and maintain partnerships with other companies that last for years.
Stay tuned for more insight into the Pre-met story as we look to pave the way for others to hopefully achieve a double century.
