How Global Interconnect Keeps Orders Moving During COVID-19 [Q&A]

As early as December 2019, Troy Mauk, Global Interconnect’s Director of Global Procurement, knew that COVID-19 would impact the company’s supply chain. Many of the parts they need come from suppliers in China. So when the country started shutting down in January, Troy knew most of their supplier orders would be late. Rather than panic, he used SourceDay to make a plan to keep their orders moving. As a result, their production lines have all continued running.

During our recent webinar, SourceDay’s CMO Sarah Moore joined Troy for a live Q&A to learn how Global Interconnect managed through this challenging time.

Using SourceDay to Plan Ahead

Global Interconnect makes custom cable assemblies for medical device manufacturers and industrial/commercial companies worldwide. When Troy first heard news of the virus spreading, he looked at SourceDay to understand the status of all of his orders. This quick insight helped him build an action plan to manage the company’s risk. Troy then worked with his colleagues to keep orders shipping on-time to their customers, even through the COVID-19 disruption.

I immediately started looking at SourceDay to see what was confirmed and what was late. I put priorities on the hotlist, and said to our suppliers, ‘Here’s what you need to focus on for the next 4 weeks.’ We made critical use of the ‘Hot List’ function to shepherd our suppliers in deliveries and to gain real time insights into confirmed shipments.”
Troy Mauk
Global Interconnect

COVID-19’s Effect on Businesses

In a poll during the live webinar, 95% of attendees said that COVID-19 has impacted their businesses. To combat that COVID-19 disruption, Troy used SourceDay to re-evaluate shipping & logistics options, create a roadmap of priorities for his Chinese suppliers, and set expectations with his customers.

Anything from China takes 7 weeks to get to my dock. So you want to make sure you’re shipping only the most critical items in the air and via ocean.”
Troy Mauk

When polled, 65% of our webinar attendees managed their purchase orders with suppliers through email. Global Interconnect relies on several Chinese suppliers for critical parts. Troy’s team wouldn’t be able to navigate the current landscape through email or spreadsheets alone.