An Ability to Survive Disruptions: Findings from Three Finnish Manufacturing Companies’ Supply Challenges during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Being multinational and complex, global supply chains may be extremely vulnerable to sudden crises, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to issues related to the health and lives of people, the pandemic has also had negative impacts on supply chains, and many companies dependent on them have been struggling. The ability to recover from disruptions is called resilience. In this study, the resilience of supply chains is evaluated by studying three globally operating Finnish B2B manufacturing companies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The empirical research was conducted by interviewing the companies’ supply chain and purchasing operations representatives, analysing the results and comparing the results to the literature.As a result, essential methods to survive during crises and increase the resilience of supply chains were discovered. The results can be utilised in preparing for future crises

Keywords

• resilience
• supply chains
• disruption
• global crises