Isuzu Motors Co., (Thailand) Ltd.’s tier 1 suppliers received technical support from iPrepare Business to develop a business continuity plan.

Recognising the importance of enhancing the resilience of businesses and their wider supply chains, iPrepare Business, a joint initiative of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) and the Global Initiative on Disaster Risk Management (GIDRM), has launched a 2-year pilot project in partnership with Isuzu Motors Co., (Thailand) Ltd. The project is currently providing technical support to 8 Isuzu Tier 1 suppliers to develop a business continuity plan (BCP) tailored to their specific business operations and goals.

The final workshop was conducted for Inoue Rubber (Thailand) Public Co., Ltd, (iRC) on 7 June 2017. The Ayutthaya-based company provides Industrial elastomer parts and motorcycle tyres and tubes.

iRC experienced the Thailand Great Flood in 2011 and saw the water level rise to some 300 centimetres outside the factory. Although iRC assets and production lines were not directly damaged, business was significantly disrupted. The company could not deliver finished goods to customers due to the floodwaters outside the factory. Many of their employees could not come to work because of severe flooding in their homes and of transportation routes.

iRC consequently built a concrete wall to protect the factory from floodwater and prepared power generators and water pumps as prevention and mitigation measures to reduce flood risk. Moreover, foreseeing a recurrence of flooding in the future, top management decided to take some measures to better and more systematically safeguard their business processes. One of these measures was to participate in the project and form a cross-functional BCP team comprising representatives of both male and female employees from different departments.

Using the iPrepare Business facility, the participants reviewed the BCP including its purpose and the business continuity strategies developed to address two prioritized hazards (floods and fire) while also clarifying the roles and responsibilities of respective BCP team members. The tabletop exercises were conducted with two given scenarios of flood and fire incidents. This was intended to test the operationalization of the plan and each member’s responsibilities.

The Deputy Executive Director of iRC and co-leader of BCP team appreciated the project, saying: “During the 2011 floods the company was not clear on what actions needed to be taken and everyone had different ideas. Thanks to the training, the necessary steps and measures to be taken at the time of an incident are clear and the company can now work towards the same target to address such disasters and ensure continuity of the business operation”.

Following the completion of the training, the company is planning to report back to top management and has also decided to review the BCP once a year.