You can't blame anyone for flinching when you ask what's going to happen next. It's the new normal.
The pressures of the pandemic really seemed to be easing, at least from a health and safety standpoint. The no-mask convoy didn't even have time to finish their posters before mandates started dropping throughout much of the U.S.
One got the sense that this summer could be a fun one.
Supply chain congestion and product shortages aren't being sorted as quickly we thought, but as the spread of COVID-19 dies down, there was optimism that recovery will speed up.
And with the Federal Reserve ready to increase interest rates gradually, some were hopeful that inflation was simmer down.
Then war broke out.
The word "war" may not elicit the same response from one generation to the next. For the young population, this is the first time they have really seen a war unfold in real time.
For an older generation, this is just one more conflict that in the end will have no winners.
It is a stressful time in life. The war is tragic for the people involved and heartbreaking to witness.
And for the companies that find themselves unwittingly in the middle of it all, it is a balancing act of a new kind.
As sanctions have come down on Russia from around the world, pressure is mounting on all who do business there to stop. For some companies, depending on the amount of Russian business, this is easier said than done.
Continental A.G., for example, suspended production of tires "temporarily" at its factory in Kaluga, Russia, and halted imports and exports of products to and from Russia company wide.
Group Michelin suspended production at some of its European plants "for a few days in the coming weeks," in the wake of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
"Michelin is monitoring the situation at all times at the highest level of the company and expresses its full support for the victims of this conflict," Michelin said.
Nokian Tyres P.L.C., which reports annual revenue from sales in Russia and Asia of around $378 million, said its operations in Russia continue to be "impacted by transportation capacity availability, and lead times to our customers have increased. The operations can be further impacted by raw-material supply."
Nokian operates a plant in Vsevolozhsk, Russia, with 1,600 employees. Previously, the company said it moved production of some of its key tire lines out Russia to its factories in Dayton, Tenn., and Nokia, Finland, because of the invasion.
That means more business for North America, but that's a millimeter of sunshine compared to the clouds of war.
When you are in a global industry — such as the tire business — everything happening has some sort of impact on the whole, and mitigating these issues is tricky. War is not good for humanity, and it is certainly not good for business.
Let us hope a peaceful resolution comes soon.
