Editorial
Crises must remain outside
"I didn't even see her coming, suddenly she was standing there, tall as a giant. She said: 'Hello, hello, my name is Krise!" This is how Krise introduces herself in Max Raabe's song of the same name before she moves in with him.
And I have to admit, it reminds me a little of the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Suddenly it was here and the industry was confronted with a lockdown with no time frame almost from one day to the next. The coronavirus crisis has arrived in Germany.
For us as a specialist medium, the question arises every day as to how much space we give to the coronavirus pandemic and its effects. We are in daily contact with companies, and coronavirus naturally plays a major role in these conversations. And of course we also want to know how you are doing and how you and your company are dealing with the changed circumstances. How are the trade fair cancellations being received? How are productions being organized so that the prescribed distancing rules can be observed? How is digitalization progressing?
You can find the answers in the May issue of SCOPE. Gerhard Ohmacht from Leipziger Messe answered our questions in the exchange of words on page 8. Mr. Ohmacht only took over the management of the Trade and Industrial Fairs division in March. In the interview, he talks about the challenges posed by travel restrictions for trade fair organizers and the reasons why people go to trade fairs.
Many companies are using this time to train their employees. Employees are bringing themselves up to date with webinars. Information services from publishers, among others, are also increasingly being used to keep up to date with the latest developments and to brush up on the basics. This is why you will find basic knowledge on plastics processing in the industry from page 16 onwards.
From page 26 onwards, we explain how embedded systems provide more intelligence in production. They also offer users significantly more flexibility, for example when production systems need to be quickly converted to other products. One example: some companies have converted their production to medical supplies during the pandemic. This was faster thanks to the embedded systems.
Hygiene plays a crucial role in times of coronavirus. In many places, rules of conduct are in place to protect employees from infection. But what about workwear? According to a survey, 63 percent have to wash their work clothes privately. This does not guarantee hygienic cleanliness. You can find out why workwear should be professionally cleaned in the occupational health and safety section from page 38 onwards.
The crisis may have arrived, but the industry is not letting it get them down. It is using the time to adapt processes, push ahead with digitalization and train employees. The crisis therefore has no chance of becoming firmly entrenched. And the companies? They are positioning themselves and using the initial easing to get off to a flying start.
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