Before coronavirus was ever an issue, one traffic signal infrastructure supplier found itself in a similar predicament many OEMs recently found themselves in due to COVID-19 — a total standstill of production. 

The manufacturer’s main supplier of crucial components permanently shut its doors without warning, bringing operations to a costly and screeching halt. Because there were no contractual provisions in place to require notice or provide alternate suppliers, this manufacturer spent weeks trying to find a replacement so production could pick up once again. 

Desperate and without any response from the initial supplier, the OEM considered reshoring production back to its facilities as a last resort (something that did not go well previously).