Since Covid-19 the world has become a very different place and businesses need to change and adapt in order to survive the new world that we have found ourselves in.
At Cube we are working hard to embrace the change, we have had the opportunity to take stock and are looking at the future from a different perspective. The changes over the past few months have impacted our suppliers, customers, and staff. Some customers are experiencing an unprecedented downturn in demand for their products, this has a knock-on effect to our suppliers too.
Internally we have adjusted by spreading our teams across different shift patterns with clear distance markers set out on the floor for their safety, this, naturally has an effect on the “buzz” we would normally have around the factory, part of the environment which has always been so important to us.
We have not let this prevent us from moving forward. With a healthy order book, we have been focused on the Industries that are still growing in the current climate, one of those being non-commercial aviation. With commercial aviation suffering huge losses, reporting to be 70.8% down on May 2019, private jets have seen a resurgence and in response we are winning significant packages of work in this sector.
There are a number of reasons that people are choosing non-commercial aviation and it is no longer exclusive to the ultra-high net worth individuals.
- Reduced Covid risk & protecting loved ones
- A lower cost of entry, compared to 5 years ago
- Business travel can continue for vital face to face meetings
- The opportunity of visiting second homes, in order to relax
In the Midlands, the aerospace industry is second in size only to the car industry and its supply chain is vital to the UK economy providing thousands of jobs. We must all work together through these challenging times to make sure it pulls through the crisis and returns to healthy growth in the future and the easiest way to do that is to source locally.
Neil Clifton comments ‘During my time on Furlough I had the rare opportunity to give thought to the future growth of Cube without the distractions of the daily responsibilities as business owner. I had time to think about the importance of Prime and Tier One customers realising that the UK is capable and has the supply chains to support their projects of the future. But most importantly we need to be able to adapt to their demands – a commitment that now needs to be at the core of Cube’s offering.’
Source – Midland Aerospace Alliance, FlightRadar24
8th July 2020