For some, it’s meant doing certain DIY-related jobs around the house that we’ve been putting off for some reason. Self-isolation and social distancing have also led to a certain amount of disruption and unintended separation from our loved ones and work colleagues.

I’ve been using video and web conferencing to do a host of things, ranging from quiz nights with friends to holding open mic nights with other musos. I’ve also been cutting my own hair but the less said about that, the better.

Part way through the pandemic, a number of manufacturing companies have been using the time wisely to prepare for an efficient restart of operations post-crisis so that they can emerge stronger by taking steps to improve performance and capitalise on strategic opportunities.

Smart companies will already have contingencies for an unanticipated disruption to their business and as a result can start the process of executing their action plans now. It’s better to take swift and decisive action before an impending problem turns into a full-fledged crisis.

Post-crisis, a disruption-shaped hole in the manufacturing universe will require a disruptive innovation to fill it. Our today can no longer simply move toward tomorrow. Our tomorrow needs to reach back and pull it forward.

Talk of disruption makes me wonder whether I’ll still be writing about metallics-based production processes in 10 years’ time. Disruptive innovations like additive manufacturing only serve to underline a gradual migration away from subtractive metalcutting techniques.

Is it just a matter of time before these new processes match and eventually surpass them? Should we relish the unfamiliar and embrace the notion of hazard? Reset buttons at the ready.

Mike Richardson, editor