On Full Speed: How Covid-19 has taken The Fourth Industrial Revolution on Fast Pace

Camille Lopez

On Full Speed: How Covid-19 has taken The Fourth Industrial Revolution on Fast Pace 

A year has passed, and the Philippines is still very much in the middle of the storm that is the Covid-19 Pandemic. Even with the active efforts of both the public and private sectors, the Covid variants that trailed the original virus held us back from seeing continued progress. With this seemingly tricky maze, we’re in, many experts have weighed in and analyzed that full recovery won’t be until 2022 to 2024.

How COVID-19 speeds up the Fourth Industrial Revolution

These forecasts, factored in by the current situation, can evoke a hundred implications. If there’s anything that is close to a good one, then it can be the undeniable fact that Covid-19 is single-handedly driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution faster than expected. The life of businesses across the globe heavily depended on their flexibility and coping with the trying times. Once considered a far-fetched threat, the global pandemic has become a reality that forced every company to automate. Not just to simply automate but to automate fast and efficiently. Not to do so is simply to accept your company’s imminent demise.

This turn in the business world has made companies look into how they can fill this arising gap in the market. Take PLDT as an example. In 2020, it was reported by The Philippine Star that the company has started taking into serious discussions on future changes. One report says that the company, with its technology arm Smart Communications, has joined forces with a multinational telecommunications brand, Nokia, to bring forth IoT services and are looking to service major industry players such as manufacturing, utilities, transport, and logistics among others ^[3]. With times like these, companies like PLDT don’t just stop at brewing just one exciting project and expect for it to earn money for them once launched. This telco giant is also reported to invest $80M in APRICOT cable system, a subsea cable system set to fortify the network’s bandwidth and be at par with the country’s growing internet traffic ^[4].

In one way or another, it’s inevitable that business titans like PLDT are working against time to move faster than ever before. Time is of absolute luxury and not to be wasted by those who shy away from risks.

“Automation Is The New Normal In Logistics”

In addition, Mr. Speedy, relatively considered a logistics rookie, has shown strength against their household competition. As their Country Manager once mentioned (taken from a news article published in Philstar), “automation is the new normal in logistics ^[5].” True to their thrust in delivering fast services, Mr. Speedy has incorporated tech solutions that aid many a business at this time. These solutions made way for customers to make easier online purchases and for sellers to understand the analytics of their business without having the hard skills. Who thought that a logistics company can go beyond just dropping parcels? This speaks volumes of how much automation is opening all possibilities, even for the longstanding industries that stood the test of time thanks to manual labor.

Credits to this crazy pandemic we’re in, we’ve entered a new era where limits are nothing but an illusional construct. After all, this is done and our past concept of normal has been debunked, the companies which were open to taking on the challenge and changing their old ways will certainly rise above their contemporaries. These changing times, and as to how it’ll continue to evolve in the coming months or years, have proven again that necessity is the mother of invention.

We at Drake International Philippines understand the trend and value your company in these trying times. Our recruitment services and talent solutions can help you and your teams in continuing to achieve profit improvement for your business. Add in our 70 years of global experience in recruitment and talent management. Reach out to us today to learn more at talent@ph.drakeintl.com