January 11, 2022
2021 was arguably the most disruptive period for manufacturing in living memory.
While the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns take the lion’s share of the blame, there were other external pressures to consider, too.
The immediate red tape caused by Brexit, a global shortage of delivery drivers, problems with port congestion and many other factors have hit supply chains hard.
Covid has been the main driver though, with delivery times increasing and prices for international shipping skyrocketing. We’ve seen prices increase by 500% at one point during 2021.
Whisper it though; 2022 will hopefully look a lot brighter thanks to global vaccination efforts and the Omicron variant proving to be milder. Fingers crossed that 2022 will be the first real step back to normality.
Whether you need a trailer for your new game, an activation for an event, a custom console skin, a stunning limited edition or some other incredible form of creative media, we make it happen.
An extreme level of detailed planning needs to go into each and every project though to ensure a highly-polished product is delivered on time.
As tricky as 2021 was, our creative team at TAKEOFF was able to adapt to all of these new pressures to deliver high-quality products to our clients and partners on time, every time.
Our flexibility has arguably been our greatest asset over 2021. That flexibility has carried over into 2022, which has led to changes to our lead times for certain creative projects.
How TAKEOFF is approaching 2022
2021 has also been a time for reflection, allowing our teams to assess our production lines, services, suppliers and more to maximise productivity and deliver quality results in a timely manner.
To minimise disruption and make sure that production times and deliveries remain as smooth and stress-free as possible, we create and maintain solid relationships with only the strongest suppliers.
As mentioned earlier, 2021 saw prices boom, even for the most basic manufacturing jobs.
That close relationship with our global partners has been key over 2021 to not only negate the impact of these global challenges for our clients, but to maximise ROI and keep costs reasonable.
Working closely with trusted suppliers also allows real-time communications with our creative labs, ensuring that we’re always informed and that our initial proposals can still meet deadlines.
As well as keeping a close eye on our supply chains, we’ve also kept a keen interest in how the gaming industry is rapidly evolving, altering our services to stay on top.
Global lockdowns in 2021 for instance saw a new wave of influencers burst onto the scene as gamers connected with others en masse on platforms such as Twitch to keep themselves entertained.
There is still huge value in press kits, but influencer kits can now help brands reach out in transparent, ethical ways to an influencer’s audience, which may be a better fit for your IP.
Some of our work is classed as art, and with the bulk of our creative work taking place across the EU, our teams need to plan carefully and work with the extra time our supply chains demand to create something truly special and memorable.
Demand and expectations from our clients has increased. At the same time, the world is working its way back to normality.
We believe our new lead times for 2022 will allow us to deliver the absolute best creative products imaginable to our clients as effortlessly as possible during these tough times.