Almost 60% of the OEMs, design engineers, contractors and clients questioned in a recent Risk Census survey, conducted by Trelleborg’s engineered products operation, stated that they believe their supply chain is becoming more risk averse due to higher demands placed on them. Trelleborg is one of the top three rubbers manufacturers globally with a presence in 40 countries, with a focus on products that damp, seal and protect in demanding industrial environments. It also supplies ceramic liners and tiles for mining applications such as chutes and hoppers 

Individuals were surveyed from civil engineering, oil and gas and mining industries to establish what they believe to be the main areas of supply chain risk in their industry. Trelleborg examined the responses in its Risk Census, to understand how businesses perceive supply chain risk and explore ways in which they can manage and minimise it successfully through supplier and product selection.

Ruud Bokhout, Marketing Director of Trelleborg’s engineered products operation, says: “You could argue that supply chains as a whole are becoming more risk averse because they face many of the same problems across the board – subdued demand, reduced budgets, rising legislation, longer procurement cycles and so on. Managing large scale projects in these times of change will bring risk, but by having greater transparency in negotiations from the outset, proposals and solutions can be de-risked.”

Further findings from the Risk Census show that 47% of respondents think increasingly more complex and challenging projects are the main cause of risk, with 45% admitting to fear of unexpected costs and charges as a result. Bokhout continues: “A large majority of respondents’ concerns are causing them to play it safe to protect themselves from risk. But there is an equal concern, from the market as a whole, that this could be at the expense of performance and innovation. To innovate is to make changes to the status quo, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, material technologies or products. While the idea of change may breed concern, we believe it should actually be embraced, especially in more challenging times. If industries are developing and adapting to increasingly demanding applications, how then can we expect old products and solutions to stay the same and still work as efficiently?

He continues: “Constant development is the only way to find solutions that work faster and more efficiently and by getting it right first time with a solution that is meant for its new application, unexpected costs and delays can be avoided.” Trelleborg states that it works hard to ensure that it constantly delivers clear communication and input at the beginning of design stages, to ensure that challenging projects can stay on track without risk concerns. In addition, the company’s product development ethos means that the ‘one size fits all’ approach is never applied.

The survey can be viewed at http://trelleborg.tecs1.com/RiskCensusReport