The Alfra Year in Review

The still-closed doors on the Advent calendar have shrunk to a manageable number - just like the remaining days of 2020. Time to look back at 12 months, much of which were dominated by the Corona pandemic. There's no denying the impact on our homes and workplaces. Still - when images of 2020 flash in my mind, it's not just about rules, numbers of new infections or conspiracy theories.

That's why I'm taking my chance to highlight the many small and big success stories that the Alfra team has to its credit, despite or quite independently of Corona:

Alfra moves...

A rolling stone gathers no moss. The restructuring of our sales department, which was already decided in 2019, finally took off in the spring. The goal: faster and smoother processes - for the benefit of our customers. The associated moves and renovation measures at the Alfra headquarters in Hockenheim were so well organized that everyday office life was hardly affected. Well done!

Reinforcement for 'Made in Germany“

Our plant in Herborn joined the Alfra family at the end of 2019. The plan was not only to implement small series and prototype production into Alfra's range of services - Herborn is also a significant factor to strengthen the in-house production of important components of our products. With regard to the Corona crisis, this point becomes even more important. But when a new production site is incorporated, this is also involving a lot of work. To ensure that the family could grow together, employees from our three plants spent many hours on the highway during the year - in addition to their main duties. That's what I call commitment!

Hello? Is everyone there?

What sounds like the greeting in a Punch and Judy show is actually the not unusual start of a Zoom meeting. Since spring at the latest, both internal and external meetings of larger groups in conference rooms were no longer feasible under Corona regulations. As an alternative means of communication, the virtual meeting on the screen became more and more a part of working life - and thus gave impetus to numerous other ideas. For example, 'customer consultations' via Zoom in times of declining trade show activity, or live product demonstrations via conference call when field service visits have become difficult during the crisis. Is this a dream of the future? Yes, but it has potential...

Home, sweet home!

The 'home office principle' has been part of a modern working world not just since the Corona pandemic. But the requirement to keep the number of on-site employees as low as possible in the face of rising infection figures, provided the impetus to give working at a home desk a chance. A step in the right direction, as experience showed. It was not just a matter of trusting in the commitment and discipline of the Alfra team - the technical prerequisites for around 30 home office places had to be created in a short time. With success! Home office is working and thus opens up promising opportunities even beyond the Corona crisis. For example, offering qualified specialists with long commutes the option of working at home on a daily basis. Those who manage to bind exceptional employees to their company also achieve the best results for their customers.

Thinking ahead

The ups and downs in the history of 2020 hardly gave the staff time to breathe. Relaxations, tightened measures and lockdowns followed one another and required all areas in the company to repeatedly adjust to changing conditions. The efforts paid off. The production at our three plants continued. The crisis did not leave Alfra unscathed. But despite the expected drop in sales, we were also able to replenish stocks and increase customer satisfaction. The special circumstances led us to sharpen our focus more than ever on where we still need to improve. This process will not end with the crisis.

Endurance as a team effort

Since the beginning of the pandemic, our concept has been based on taking precautionary measures as early as possible and communicating them regularly to our employees. One of the reasons why we have survived these special times comparatively unscathed so far, is that the team has supported all the restrictions right from the start. Where the crisis has closed doors, team spirit and improvisational talent have shown new ways. This realization is perhaps the most valuable memory of 2020, providing us with the boost we need for the tasks ahead.

In this spirit, we wish our customers, partners and employees a relaxing holiday season and a happy and healthy start to 2021!