At the forefront of the battle during the coronavirus epidemic as well, the supply chain and its people also need support by the state, according to Dionysis Grigoropoulos, President of the the Greek Cold Storage and Logistics Association and CEO of Logistics Way.

The industry is also under pressure, as is every aspect of the economy and society, he explained during an interview with Piraeus Channel 1 on Nikos Bardounias’ show, expressing optimism that with unity and hard work the future could be better after this crisis.

For the time being, the companies that manage food and medicine in the supply chain continue to apply the rules of hygiene and management that were in force before the epidemic and their people work 24 hours a day to meet the increased needs, said Mr. Grigoropoulos.

“The products are as safe as before the virus. The health of the citizens is the first concern of the logistics companies that deal with such sensitive products,” he stressed.

The supply chain is not yet experiencing deep blows from the quarantine, like other businesses, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be in the future, he said.

For now, the big challenge is the intensity of the work that brings workers to the brink of exhaustion.

“It is unprecedented. There is no company that has been prepared for such a thing. Nobody expected it, “said Mr. Grigoropoulos.

In the future, the recession will hit all businesses and proposals have already been made by the industry for support measures such as those already outlined by the government for all sectors of the economy, he added.

“I can’t tell for sure if all these measures will work. Whatever is implemented may help somewhere and elsewhere may not give the desired result. However, we will see very big losses in companies with a lot of staff, “he noted.

Companies with 2-3 employees are in an advantageous position because they have low costs. The state should take into account that in the industry 30-40% of the operating costs of companies that manage food and medicine are the electricity for refrigerators, he explained.

“The only certain thing is that we went through a very difficult decade and we were ready to get out of this quagmire. I believe that by working hard and with unity we will be able to see the future with more optimism “, he concluded.

Source: maritimes.gr