Manufacturers have their say
Members of a Brookfield-based networking group for manufacturers say the SARS epidemic made them think harder about sourcing products overseas. But not many were turned off to the idea of doing business with or in China entirely, according to results of a survey by the Paranet Group.
When asked if they had been inconvenienced by the SARS epidemic, manufacturers spoke of delays and canceled or postponed trips abroad.
However, some reported that the epidemic showed them how volatile global business can be.
Responses to the survey included these comments:
"Am delaying visit to China for business setup purposes as a result of the SARS epidemic. It’s directly impacting our future planned business, but not current business."
"We postponed several planned trips to China because of SARS, but things appear to be back to normal now. We just had two people traveling in China last week. We are continuing our efforts to build alliances in the region. I don’t think even SARS is going to stop the ‘stampede’ to China."
"We started seriously looking at China sourcing shortly before the SARS outbreak. We have been having startup problems with qualifying sources and products due to our agents not being able to make face-to-face contact with potential suppliers. Recently, things seem to be getting a little better, but due to all the pent up inquires, it is tough to get people’s attention."
"We still plan to aggressively source in China. Our confidence is shaken, but we believe that adjustments will be made to remedy the situation. The potential savings are too great to ignore."
"We are only sourcing from China. We have postponed any trips and are handling items over the phone."
"It has had no effect. We are confident that this issue will be taken care of in the near future."
July 11, 2003 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
