Читать книгу The crisis will be back. What is to be done? - - Страница 5

“Now I am equipped for any economic eventuality,” I was saying to myself. “My business has been growing as much as 10% annually for ten years running, it has developed and become strong. Almost 300 employees make a $20 million worth of products that are sold, among others, in export markets generating revenues in foreign currency, the warehouses are well stocked and there are still reserves of production capacities.”

I survived several crises, learnt a lot and thought I knew everything. And yet I could not foresee that my business would be on the brink of ruin, that there would be a question of either bankruptcy or survival…

The Russian government decided to make a “dead loop” in foreign policy by annexing Crimea. It had a disastrous impact on the Russian economy. Not even in my wildest dreams could I imagine that an embargo on the supply of goods from dozens of countries across the world would be suddenly introduced in response to the sanctions against Russia. My business was suddenly banned from using film made in the Netherlands in production of bulletproof glass for customers from the national security bodies or government monopolies.

I had 66 people working at the bulletproof glass factory. It operated around the clock, making products of various sizes and protection levels for various uses: armoured cars, ships, bank buildings, and other assets that needed protecting. Demand was ever-growing, the factory was working almost to its full capacity, the monthly turnover was totalling 300—400 thousand dollars. Lo and behold, the military inspection and acceptance representative is telling me to change the supplier of the film, as they will no longer accept any materials from a NATO member country. How on earth can this be planned for or projected?

Moreover, the government did not suggest that businesses should either find a replacement within 6—12 months or start doing things differently. It was a curt military-like command: do it here and now!

“But this just cannot be done!” we ranted. “All our equipment is tooled for this particular Dutch film! No one else in the world produces a film of similar quality suitable for our production.” The authorities were relentless. The year was 2015 when “import substitution” started to be aggressively implemented in Russia.

“The government resolution can only be rescinded by the government itself,” I would hear in all offices. I had to close down a highly profitable modern enterprise — private demand was low while the pull from my primary consumers (80—90%) in the national security bodies or state monopolies was suddenly lost.