Manufacturing is fast-paced and complex. Crises can stem from a plethora of sources including recalls, workplace accidents, plant closures and supply chain disruptions, just to name a few. For each of these situations, an experienced manufacturing public relations team will be essential for maintaining the image and managing the communications when crises inevitably occur.
The manufacturing industry encounters some battles when a crisis occurs. The potential disruption of your product can lead to significant revenue loss, and there can be devastating effects to your company’s reputation. In public relations, it’s good to live by Murphy’s Law: “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” so it’s best to incorporate a crisis plan for when things go wrong.
Having a crisis communication plan is essential for successfully navigating a crisis in manufacturing, and here’s why:
- Preparedness: organization is a key component to a crisis plan. When you create this plan wit
h your manufacturing public relations team, you will identify potential risks and develop strategies for communication enabling you to be “proactive” rather than “reactive.”- Response time: Time is critical in the event of a crisis. If you don’t control the narrative of the story, the media will. A well strategized plan will include approved messaging with designated speakers to address the media. Addressing the crisis as quickly as possible gives you control over the story.
- Mitigating impact: Every crisis will have some form of impact, but a properly developed crisis plan will mitigate the overall damage. The proactivity of developing the plan will reduce lost revenue and retain consumer loyalty, resulting in a quicker rebound from the loss.
At Ripley PR, we specialize in manufacturing PR. We know what can happen without a crisis plan and can help your company minimize losses if a crisis does occur. Interested in learning more about how manufacturing public relations can help? Contact us today at 865-977-1973.
