To fully characterize the business impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the water treatment technology market, and, more importantly, support our member companies in formulating response strategies, WWEMA conducted the COVID-19 Business Impacts Survey. Additionally, the results from this survey will help WWEMA understand how best to support and advocate for our members during this unprecedented time. Thirty-five companies of various sizes and technologies responded; 25 were manufacturers and 10 were manufacturer representatives.
Although provided with an identical survey, we separately analyzed responses for manufacturers vs. manufacturer representatives. One general finding is that manufacturer representatives are slightly more optimistic about business prospects for both the first and second half of 2020 than manufacturers. Additionally, the survey showed all member companies were impacted. Ninety percent of all respondents indicated a minimal to moderate impact. However, manufacturers (vs. manufacturer representatives) were the only respondents to indicate a more substantial impact by classifying the impact as substantial or significant. The survey also examined what actions companies are taking to respond to the pandemic. Those actions include adopting practices recommended in the 15 and 30 Days to Stop the Spread Federal guidance documents and other measures to protect their staff including travel restrictions, more frequent disinfection of the workplace, and rearranging work configuration to implement social distancing. The full report is posted in the Members-Only section of the WWEMA website under COVID-19 Resources and Market Intelligence.