Industry in the Time of COVID – Selma Bradarić, Medena Commerce, Tešanj

With her responses, Selma Bradarić, Head of Sales and Marketing at “Medena Commerce” from Tešanj, also contributed to the “Let’s Come Out Stronger” campaign. The goal of the campaign is to present the responses and reflections of entrepreneurs, managers, and all relevant experts on the topic of the crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic—responses that could be useful to individuals and society as a whole when forming their own answers and decisions.

1. What is the current health and operational situation in your company? Are you operating, and under what conditions?

The current health situation is satisfactory; we have no suspected cases or potentially dangerous contacts. We strive to track all contacts of our employees in order to prevent the spread of infection. The current work process is operating at approximately 12% of production capacity. Operations were temporarily completely suspended. There are several reasons for this: certain companies have suspended their operations, making it impossible to deliver goods; the arrival of raw materials has slowed significantly; it is difficult to organize the work process while complying with all recommendations related to disease prevention; time is needed to adapt to these measures; and by suspending operations, we aim to contribute to the community’s fight against COVID-19 by reducing employee movement and protecting their health. We hope that after this pause and the adjusted work regime—which will last for several more weeks—we will be able to resume normal operations.

2. Which effects of the COVID-19 crisis do you believe will create the most problems for your company?

As a company significantly tied to the automotive industry in Germany, we already felt the challenges it faced last year, and just as we began to see some improvement, COVID occurred. There will be many negative effects; we expect a decrease in demand and a reduction in revenue, which will also lead to lower margins. This is the most difficult consequence for us, as we depend on income and demand for our products. On the other hand, we also expect a decrease in raw material and transportation costs due to the drop in oil prices on the global market.

3. What is your plan regarding employee management, and do you plan to implement layoffs or terminate employment contracts?

There will be no layoffs during the crisis period. We strive to ensure that all our employees receive the maximum rights they are entitled to, and any work that cannot currently be carried out will have the opportunity to be made up once operations return to normal. All of our employees are doing their best to contribute to maintaining the production process, and we are immensely grateful to them for that.

4. What is your forecast for the post-COVID period in your industry or for your company in general?

At this moment, it is very difficult to make any predictions; we will know the real situation once all of this is over. However, as mentioned, we expect reduced demand for our products, especially in the automotive industry but also in the machinery sector, as investments will be significantly reduced. We also expect pressure to lower product prices, which will require very thoughtful and efficient management of work processes.

5. What message would you send to the professional community in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region?

We believe that this is a time when successful business should be reflected in preserving and protecting life and health, safeguarding jobs, and contributing to the community in the fight against the pandemic—and this, in our view, defines a successful entrepreneur today. This is not the moment to measure success by turnover or profit achieved; we have had enough time for that and will have it again in the future. Of course, it is important to preserve the company’s operations, but we believe that our employees are now more important than ever.

6. Would you like to add anything else?

Now more than ever, crisis management has come to the forefront—something none of us has sufficient experience with. I believe that sharing experiences and opinions is of great help to everyone, which is why I welcome this initiative and the approach that “Trager Engineering and Consulting” has taken in working with its clients during this crisis period. Thank you for that.