The year has turned, and part of the ritual is to take a moment to reflect on the year gone by.
Do others have the same problem, that so many strange things have happened you don’t even really know what to say? The mind is so full that it’s empty. Luckily my reduced use of words is always just a temporary challenge.
A little over a year ago, we set ambitious growth goals for Dimex. The news was already talking about the situation in China, but we had no idea what was coming. The first half of the year was wild. We did intensive development work to streamline operations and panicked, along with the rest of the world, because of the pandemic. Perhaps I remember the empty toilet paper shelves with special fondness. I still don't understand how it happened that I also had an extra Ikea bag at home. That was how the beginning of 2020 was. We worked hard to map and measure Dimex's crisis-receiving capacity. Everyone was on their toes without seeing what was coming. The worst thing is ignorance. We retreated to our own homes and started Teams life. Dimex's board of directors met once a week for a couple of months. So did the entire Dimex staff. We couldn't avoid layoffs either. Many people worked alone at home and took care of children at the same time. Stress tolerance was also measured with a fair hand at Casa Krogerus. The Dimex people continued to work on their construction sites. Roads and houses were built, trucks were running, and property maintenance was done. However, the uncertainty of the economy, jobs, and future overshadowed them, as it did us. In June, the biggest adjustments had been made at Dimex and we realized that we would be fine this year as well. It may not be as we had hoped for at the end of 2019, but we have nothing to worry about. The weight was lifted from our hearts.
I’m so very proud of our crew. Our operating environment is changing at a tremendous pace. It’s always been that way, but 2020 showed us a whole new scale. Those who can adapt and change are the ones who will succeed in the future. We proved that we’re capable of a lot when we decide to be. That gives me a sense of security about the future.
The end of 2020. You can get used to anything, it seems. The situation got worse in terms of Covid, but the panic subsided. Business was considerably better. Early in the autumn we spent more time at the workplace and I realised how nice it is to be part of a work community. The amount of chatter in August made me smile. It’s nice to work together. Then we were back at home full-time again. I was happy to say goodbye to 2020. A sigh of relief that we made it through well and strong, but I won’t miss last year.
We have a few wishes for this year: Hopefully the pace of vaccinations will pick up. Hopefully we’ll be able to meet each other freely both in our free time and at work. And hopefully we’ll be able to recover from what we’ve been through soon. At Dimex we believe that 2021 will be better than 2020.
Riitta Krogerus
Managing Director