Jean-Stanislas Orlowski, director of PVL Beauté, explains that while production continues, fears of financial instability are a reality.
What are the most pressing issues facing the business?
The health situation is evolving daily around the world and the market has to take the necessary measures adapted to its needs. This level of uncertainty is difficult to manage.
What is the impact on production and what is your strategy?
Our biggest risk is that postponed orders become cancelled orders. We don’t systematically pass on postponed orders to our industrial partners and we manage expenditure commitments by ensuring production in progress and semi-finished products as we want to both maintain activity in our factories that are currently manufacturing and be ready first when the recovery comes.
Our teams are currently focusing on ongoing projects and ensuring scheduled deliveries. Our logistics department is also attentive to the possibilities of transfers and delivery products, be they from Europe or Asia.
How are your brand partners reacting?
For the moment brands are reacting well and there is no panic. The projects continue and home office allows for quality exchanges.
We don’t have operational difficulties, but there are fears in the short term when it comes to finances; the reality of what’s happening today will probably come to the fore and brands will have to disengage for purely economic reasons.
What is the status of production in Europe versus Asia?
Factories are running everywhere in Europe and Asia, with the exception of Italy. In China, production is almost normal, Thailand is running at 100% and in France and Portugal, many factories remain open despite the confinement.
All in all, we’re waiting for the recovery and the orders that will come with it.
