The Crisis as an Opportunity
It is November 2020 when these lines are written. The year 2020 has thrown the entire global community into disarray like never before since the Second World War. A state of emergency has prevailed since spring 2020, and we all live with an ever-present uncertainty. All previously known fixed points in the year, all traditions, all seemingly manageable tasks have suddenly disappeared, dissolved, uncertain.
Nothing is reliable or predictable anymore. The borders in Europe are no longer completely open. Even the Munich Oktoberfest is not taking place, and even happy family celebrations have had to be cancelled in droves in 2020.
At the end of February, GELO was among the first companies to force decisions to protect against Corona. Under the leadership of Michael Däumler, we made the first tough cuts after intensive discussions. Many colleagues were and are working from home, we have been breaking new ground in terms of break regulations for months, and for the first time in over 100 years, the traditional GELO Christmas party was canceled in 2020. Many companies in Germany and over 6 million people have been on short-time work for months. Large German DAX companies are fighting for their very survival. We are also feeling the impacts right around us, in the Fichtel Mountains. The closure of the border with the Czech Republic has already forced us to do without dear colleagues for several weeks.
And yet: Together, we at GELO have survived eight months unscathed since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic! Supported by operational investments in state-of-the-art IT technology and numerous small voluntary hygiene aids - from scarves to masks and special door handles to standard disinfectant dispensers - we have so far survived this phase together in good health. This was only possible with discipline, common sense and mutual respect within the entire GELO team.
For that, we have the utmost respect and a big thank you! Now we have to keep at it and continue to remain consistently disciplined!
Our products are among the crisis winners!
In the spring, wood chips for toilet paper were in demand. All the construction timber for a beautiful home or garden oasis was partially sold out. In late summer, our delivery times increased to lengths that are not technically possible in our IT systems! The reasons for this development are logical in principle: instead of vacationing abroad and driven by the amount of free time during short-time work, many people want to make themselves comfortable at home. This behavior, known as "cocooning," is causing the global demand for wood and thus for our products to rise significantly. We are one of the industries for which the pandemic
is an opportunity, and as long as we do not allow ourselves any weakness internally, we can look to the future with confidence.
WOOD – AND YOUR WORLD HAS A FACE AGAIN!
This old slogan is more true in 2020 than ever before! Let us continue to ensure that we at GELO in Weißenstadt and Wunsiedel give the world a friendly, wooden and, above all, CO2-free face!
