FOCUS
‘Stronger together’ is an overused and rather clichéd saying. But sometimes it just fits the (non-political) bill perfectly – as it did coming away from the 10th OPI Global Forum held in Chicago at the end of May – by Heike Dieckmann
A
www.opi.net
fter a COVID-enforced two-and-a-half-year break, the OPI Global Forum finally returned to Chicago in May. And the world is certainly a different place today compared with November 2019, hence the tagline of ‘Making Sense of Chaotic Times’. The opening session saw a high-level panel of senior executives setting the scene with their views on the business and workplace products sector as they see it in 2022. They included – in person – Essendant’s Harry Dochelli, Warehouse Direct’s Kevin Johnson and ACCO Brands’ Boris Elisman. Remotely tuned in were Steve Haworth from EVO Group and Harbinger National’s Mike Rowsey. Between them, these leaders highlighted the titular pain points our industry is facing right now. One of them might seem somewhat peculiar but also strangely familiar: it’s, in fact, our ‘industry’ and how it’s defined. What is our ‘sector’, what products and services does it – or should it – comprise, and how is it organised? Importantly, what needs to change?
24
IDENTITY CRISIS Judging by comments from panellists as well as conference attendees, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to suggest our industry is going through a serious identity crisis. That being said, does any of it even matter to the end user? Would consumers care whether they order a pencil from an office products company, cleaning materials from a business supplies firm or a laptop riser from a workplace solutions provider? Highly doubtful, but the need for (re)definition appears ever greater. As one panellist said: “Hang on to the good bits, but get rid of the bad ones.” What consumers most certainly will care about is how and when they get their products and herein lies an issue which has been hugely exacerbated by COVID-19 – transportation and
the last mile. Both have become major headaches given supply chain delays, extortionate global transportation costs and the reality of costly residential deliveries. But, the panel concluded, there’s also considerable potential here for the independent dealer community from a last mile perspective if it managed to work together in a cohesive and cooperative way. Said residential deliveries and the whole topic of remote and hybrid working highlighted another big issue that is undoubtedly giving business leaders across the globe sleepless nights: company culture. How do you create and foster that culture in an increasingly dispersed work environment? How do you maintain a sense of togetherness when the entire workforce operates on a semi-remote basis? Or, perhaps even worse, when a component of that workforce is on site due to the nature of the job – in a warehouse, factory or construction facility, for instance – while the remainder works from a home office? As McKinsey’s Neel Gandhi pointed out in ‘The Future of Work and the Workplace’ presentation that followed, it’s a problem which is not going
Global Forum 22-24 MAY 2022
CHICAGO
