Steve Meszaros, Chief Government Officer at Yanfeng Automotive Interiors |
In these extraordinary occasions, we’ve reached out to components of the worldwide auto business for views on present challenges and a tackle prospects for 2021. Specifically, we wished to get a variety of views and viewpoints. On this newest within the sequence we’re publishing this month, we hear from Steve Meszaros, Chief Government Officer at Yanfeng Automotive Interiors.
j-a: 2020 was a reasonably memorable yr for everybody and for all kinds of causes. In your enterprise, what stand out as the most important challenges you confronted this yr?
SM: Similar to each provider within the business, we had been impacted as buyer manufacturing was idled, first in China in Q1 after which in the remainder of the world in Q2. Idling manufacturing is difficult however restarting is a fair harder activity as the worldwide provide chain is so advanced, and much more in order the COVID pandemic has remained with us all through. Thankfully, we had a complete set of ready-for-restart procedures in place to information our actions and a crew in place that monitored the scenario each day and took preventative actions to maintain our staff protected. The well being and security of our staff was and continues to be our highest precedence.
j-a. What did you study that you simply didn’t count on to study?
SM: I discovered simply how versatile and resilient our groups are at Yanfeng. COVID impacted the business shortly and in approach that nobody may have anticipated. Our world groups demonstrated their flexibility and resilience in some ways –taking fast short-term actions in response to idled buyer manufacturing, shortly creating and implementing a course of for manufacturing our personal face masks in all three areas, quickly adapting to distant work circumstances and efficiently restarting manufacturing and continuity of provide to our world clients with no main points. I used to be notably impressed with how the worldwide Yanfeng crew was in a position to keep on monitor with delivering our enterprise commitments regardless of the numerous roadblocks imposed by the COVID-19 disaster.
For me, the “silver lining” on this disaster is that most of the revolutionary enterprise practices developed by the Yanfeng crew this yr will outlive the disaster and proceed to profit the enterprise for a very long time to return.
j-a: And as we come to the top of the yr and look again on it, are you able to summarize how you are feeling?
SM: The pandemic introduced all of us with unexpected challenges. It has positioned our business and the world able that we by no means may have imagined only one yr in the past. By means of all of this, I’ve been particularly impressed with the flexibleness, resilience and perseverance of our staff. As I look again on such a difficult yr I really feel nothing however delight at how our Yanfeng crew has been in a position to so efficiently help our clients whereas persevering with to maneuver our world enterprise ahead by means of this pandemic.
j-a: Particularly on prospects for 2021. It is clearly an uncommon time for all of us within the context of the uncertainties forward, however are you able to say one thing about how you might be approaching the brand new yr?
SM: Finally, what 2020 reveals us is that going ahead we shall be stronger as a company as we proceed to navigate these challenges collectively. Wanting forward, 2021 will clearly be a yr wherein Yanfeng will proceed to develop and globalize our enterprise as we leverage the prevailing Yanfeng Automotive Interiors world platform as a basis to help the growth of the opposite Yanfeng enterprise models (Seating and Security Methods) past China into Europe and North America.
j-a: Do you’ve a message for just-auto’s readers?
SM: What we as a enterprise, as an business and as a society have needed to take care of previously yr has actually been unprecedented and, sadly, we’re not by means of this but. All of us wish to get again to a way of normality within the each the business and in our lives normally. We’ve all discovered rather a lot in the course of the pandemic and these painful classes will serve us effectively within the years forward. I encourage everybody to maintain the religion and proceed to persevere. This too shall cross. Stay assured and keep protected.