Disruptive Opportunities

So...my last post was a bit of a downer in discussing how the current disruptions to the global supply chain were exacerbated by the computer driven, optimized, logistics models...and how long it can take to restore things to "normal" even after the disruption is under control.

But...like any disruption to the norm...there is a flip side to the disruption that creates opportunities.

The most obvious opportunity that companies are grappling with today is the huge number of "white collar" workers who are now operating out of their homes.  In the past few years there have been increases in the number of "remote" workers but the current situation has caused that number to explode.  People who had already been working remotely probably had "a system" in place to manage communications, projects, and interaction with the office but now there are many "newbies" to this process.  Because now entire departments might be working from remote locations the need to continue collaboration creates a new wrinkle.  This is providing an opportunity for consultants and software resellers to help companies implement some of the collaboration tools now on the market but probably not used to the extent that this opportunity provides.  Microsoft Teams, Google Drive and Workspace, Amazon Chime...all provide structured collaboration tools that could now see widespread adoption...and change "office work" as we know it going forward.

Another potential opportunity that could see broader adoption is autonomous delivery robots.  This technology already exists and has been deployed on educational, corporate, and hospital campuses.  It has already been tested and deployed in a few communities but, again, the current disruption to how consumers purchase grocery items suggests that entrepreneurs with sufficient capital and the ability to partner with local grocery chains could deploy fleets of small food delivery robots.  These could be especially effective within "gated" communities where mapping delivery routes would be simplified and it is likely that bike lanes already exist that could keep the robots off the main roads.

Within the HVAC industry the current disruption could provide an extra push to the efforts to create "smart" equipment that can diagnose their own problems and call for help when needed.  Using "machine learning" and "AI" techniques, combined with new wireless technologies, even equipment located in hard to access locations could receive faster and better service when needed.  Service technicians who are adept at technology could be working from anywhere.  A network of such technicians located across a region, and using some of the collaboration tools above, could provide fast and accurate service and collaborative solutions to more troublesome problems...even if working from home.

Every disruption, by definition, forces a change to the status quo that can be difficult for some to adjust to but there is also an opportunity created for those that embrace the disruption.