With the current supply chain instability that is impacting companies around the globe, we continue to have conversations with our customers about how best to navigate this both now, and into the next 18 months.

As you may recall from earlier in 2020, we have continued to take a conservative risk approach to inventory and supply, preferring to pre-order when and where we can anticipate customer needs.  Due to our inventory management approach, and our relationships with our range of leading suppliers and procurement avenues, we continue to be able to access generators and critical supplies.

That said, we are reminding all site managers and facilities teams to do a few important activities to anticipate future needs:

1. Ensure that your facilities team know about your business / service growth plans. One part of anticipating future site needs, is knowing how your organisation intends to flex and grow into the future.  From items such as adding new services, to increasing staff on site, or extending operating hours – all of these need to be factored in to your current site’s power capabilities, and what you intend to need on-site, both now and into the future.
2. Update your Business Continuity plans. Have you updated your business continuity plans since the start of 2021?  If not, it’s important to both revisit the triggers that would necessitate the use of back-up power in the ‘new normal’ that we now operate in.
3. Are there industry or regulatory changes that you need to consider for your industry? In the critical care space for example, many sites need to fulfil site audits, and insurers may even require validation of effective back-up power and systems.  If you already have back-up power on-site, are you keeping current with monthly testing and regular maintenance of your systems?
4. How prepared are you for grid-instability coming into Summer, or other external factors that may impact site power? It is great to see the strong uptake of solar across South Australia, but is your site prepared to navigate the grid instability that we have been experiencing, when feed-in creates imbalance? Regulators are working to correct this; however, sites still need to ensure they have a back-up power plan and physical systems in place that can switch on with a moment’s notice.

Hopefully this gives you a starting point for your future planning and thinking.

If you are keen to start the conversation around budget & project planning, contact our team today. Phone 08 8349 7854  / Click here