Page 50 - ITATUBE Journal 1 2020

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The COVID-19 pandemic began to make itself felt in industrial production, in tube production and in the tube plant supplying industries, a little bit later than in many other industries. Ongoing contracts secured production for a some time. But since some time also the tube industry is now heavily hit by the corona conse- quences.
This came on the heels of a dif- ficult period for the industries in 2019, when tariffs and trade standoffs left producers embat- tled and experiencing early signs of a demand slowdown.
Now, the tube and pipe sector, like many other downstream met- alworking industries, is monitor- ing the demand for products from end-users, including the oil and
gas industries, the automotive sector, and others, on a day-to- day basis.
Given the unprecedented nature of this particular crisis, it is prac- tically impossible to predict how long a recovery period may last. And this difficulty is further com- pounded by the fact that the usual industry discussion and exchange fora are shut down.
For some time now, the usual customer contacts, meetings and events such as trade fairs or con- ventions have not been taking place. Travel is curtailed. There’s been the option of staying in touch online, but without a doubt the usual flow of ideas, news and developments has largely dried up.
ITAtube Journal No1/July 2020
50