“We have seen a drop in demand of around 18% in Europe for aluminium on Matmatch as a direct impact of COVID-19”- Ben Smye, Head of Growth, Matmatch

Matmatch is a materials search platform that connects engineers and material suppliers through the most comprehensive materials database in the world. For material suppliers, the company offers a new way to reach customers online. As a go-to source of information for engineers, Matmatch is the perfect platform for suppliers to raise awareness of their products and brand. Ben Smye, Head of Growth at Matmatch, has shared his thoughts on COVID-19 impact on the global aluminium value chain and post-Covid19 business strategies in the below interview:

AlCircle: What are your initial thoughts about the impact of Covid-19 on the global aluminium value chain? 

Ben Smye: I think one issue we could see is that projects are delayed, leading to a drop in demand, at least in the short time. Hopefully these projects will restart once the situation has improved, though, and the current drop in demand will be offset by higher future demand.

AlCircle: How much has this pandemic impacted your business? 

Ben Smye: As a digital platform, the impact on our daily work hasn’t been impacted much. We have closed our office but are fortunate that we can continue working from home, and our switch to remote working has been quite smooth.

AlCircle: What’s your current assessment of the Covid-19 impact on the "European Aluminium" industry?

Ben Smye: In the last 4 weeks, we have seen a drop in demand of around 18% in Europe for aluminium on Matmatch as a direct impact of COVID-19. But at the moment it doesn’t look like it’s getting any worse than that, and we fully expect demand to pick up again fairly soon.

AlCircle: How different do you think the world would be in a post-covid scenario?

Ben Smye: I think that, following a period for reflection and mourning for those we have lost, people will look to learn what we can from the situation. For example, I think the impact on the way we work is already clear, with companies forced to embrace things like remote working and set up ways to make that successful. That, I think, will help companies with large, dispersed teams be more effective in the future. I also think, especially in the aluminium industry, the approach companies take to sales and marketing has to evolve. With travel currently restricted and trade shows cancelled, companies are realising that relying on those channels to reach customers is a risk. They can still play a part, for sure, but companies need to embrace digital channels, too.

AlCircle: Do you foresee any changes in the way you reach out to your customers now? 

Ben Smye: Not much for us as a business, as we already rely on digital tools and channels to do this.

AlCircle: Have you developed/implemented any mitigation plans and strategies to minimize the impact of COVID-19 on operations? 

Ben Smye: For us the main change was moving to remote work, and we have been able to minimize the impact of that changes by having regular catch ups with the whole team via video conference. So far, it has worked well for us.

AlCircle: How COVID-19 changes the outlook for 2020 for the aluminium industry? 

Ben Smye: That is certainly the big question…I think it’s still hard to say and will depend a lot on how long COVID restrictions remain in place. But I am optimistic that we will see a rebound once the economy reopens again – whether we’ll see the effects of the recovery in 2020 or 2021 remains to be seen, though.

AlCircle: Is COVID19 making you reconsider your expansion or investment plans in the years ahead? 

Ben Smye: For Matmatch, it hasn’t changed anything yet. We will continue to invest in improving our platform.

AlCircle: How do you plan to keep offering sustainable services post this pandemic? 

Ben Smye: Again, as we are a digital platform, we’re not in the same position as a producer, for example. But we hope to help companies recover from the impact of the pandemic by acting as a channel they can use to reach more customers and generate more business in the future.

AlCircle: Could you please brief us your post COVID19 business strategies, if any. 

Ben Smye: I would say we will continue to work on our mission to connect engineers and products developers with the right materials and suppliers for their projects – so not much will change!

AlCircle: How do you see the world economy driven by the global aluminium industry post COVID19? 

Ben Smye: The aluminium industry is a big part of the economy, so I think it will play a key role in helping the world economy to recover. Hopefully, companies will quickly restart delayed projects and producers can ramp up production again to meet any increase in demand.

AlCircle: Any suggestions you would like to offer to your business associates and customers to combat the present crisis. 

Ben Smye: Firstly, always try to remain positive – we will get over this. I would also say don’t be afraid to embrace new ways of working. I’ve been in the ‘digital space’ for more than 10 years and am still surprised at companies that haven’t embraced digital ways of working. And at a time like this, digital forms of communication are all we have to stay in touch with our friends, family and associates in different parts of the world.