Harris & Bruno International

8 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 10 HARR I S & BRUNO INTERNAT IONAL forecasts to ensure they bring the inventory we need at the right time,” explains Riga. “We are also looking outside the United States to find reliable supply chains. For instance, Europe has smaller suppliers, and we are looking at how we can tap into that market to get what we need.” These supply chain challenges are part of broader systemic issues in U.S. supply chains, according to Bruno, most of which have to do with the mindset of companies within those supply chains. He notes, “U.S. companies primarily focus on short-term shareholder returns and dividends. European and Asian companies focus on where they want to be in five to ten years, making their supply chain infrastructure much deeper.” Despite these supply chain challenges, the sustained growth of the print market is proving to be a significant driver of the company’s growth post-pandemic. “Many people think print is dead or dying, but it’s far from that,” says Bruno. “Some “We have daily Gemba Walks, which means going out to the production floor and seeing what’s happening,” explains Riga. “Every department in the company, whether manufacturing, assembly, sales, accounting, engineering or service has a daily report they must do in front of a board measuring key metrics for their group. Some of the best training happens daily at these meetings where we encourage people to mention problems and issues. Even if somebody failed, we write it down, talk about it, learn from it, and put training documents in place if needed.” The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted supply chains across multiple industries, and the print industry was not spared. “For us, COVID as a disease is somewhat in the rearview mirror, but its impacts are still evident and present today,” shares Riga. “We are still experiencing its effects on the supply chain for parts, components, and materials, the lack of a large, well-trained workforce to hire from, and competing with larger companies paying extremely high wages to attract people.” The company is working on offsetting these challenges by strengthening its core business components, especially its supply chain. “We are collaborating closely with our suppliers to reduce supply chain issues like providing them with