Column: Pandemic looms over everything in life, business in 2020

By all accounts, 2020 has been a strange and difficult year. The coronavirus pandemic has had an impact, in some manner, on everything that happened this year—from how we dine to how we gather, from the presidential election to all aspects of business.

As I was going through issues of Rubber & Plastics News from this year, doing research for our Year in Review, it gave me a chance to reflect on how the crisis played out this year, week by week.

• Feb. 10 issue: The first coronavirus story appeared, tucked on a page way in the back. Goodyear said it was suspending operations in China because of COVID-19.

• Feb. 24 issue: Several stories, but nothing to forecast what was to come. At that point, total worldwide deaths had reached 2,000. There were 74,000 cases in China alone, but the World Health Organization reported just 800 additional cases in 25 countries. Michelin, Goodyear and Continental all said the were resuming operations in China, albeit in a limited capacity.

• March 9 issue: Still hasn't reached front page status. Had two pages of coverage inside, including the first reporting of industry events being canceled.

• March 23 issue: The pandemic finally hits our front page, as the potential weight of the crisis starts to take shape. One story focused on how industry companies were finding their way during the pandemic. Another detailed plans for temporary tire plant shutdowns. I also drew attention to coverage on our website, rubbernews.com. At that time, as many as a dozen updates were being posted daily. We were fortunate to be able to draw on the resources of sister publications in the Crain Communications family, particularly Tire Business, Plastics News, European Rubber Journal and Automotive News.

• April 6 issue: By now, we're all in on COVID-19 coverage. The entire front page is devoted to the pandemic, along with six more pages of coverage inside. Our staff reported on what rubber firms were doing to remain essential; we gave an inside perspective from Italy's Tudertechnica, a hose maker from one of the countries hardest hit early on; and an in-depth piece on the "Arsenal of Health" aiming to supply medical goods.

• April 20 issue: The front page again is filled with COVID-related stories, along with another six pages of coverage inside. Goodyear Chairman Richard Kramer talks about when Goodyear planned to ramp up production; Woodbridge Inoac geared up polyurethane production; and people in the industry were looking for ways to help, both big and small.

• May 4 issue: A page 1 story detailed how the silicone market finally got back to normal after a couple years of volatility, just in time for the pandemic to hit. Other coverage looked at tire makers bringing factories back online, along with reporting on companies looking to pivot—one of the buzz words of the year—to make other goods deemed essential.

• May 18 issue: Hose companies told us how the sector was dealing with both the pandemic and a tough business climate, particularly in the oil and gas sector. The auto industry started to get back into production.

• June 1 issue: The first issue of RPN since March 9 with no COVID-related stories on the front page. There still is plenty of coverage inside, including a piece on carbon black finding steady ground amid the uncertainty of the pandemic.

• June 15 issue: Back on the front page, with a story from Tire Business about the rising number of COVID-19 cases at the Bridgestone tire factory in Des Moines, Iowa.

• June 29 and July 13 issues: Back to back issues with no pandemic-related stories on the front page.

• Aug. 10 issue: Back dominating the front page. Data was available on Payroll Protection Plan loans, and it showed that nearly 1,200 rubber and plastics related firms with fewer than 500 employees were issued between $287 million and $640 million in loans, helping to retain nearly 30,000 jobs.

• Aug. 24 issue: Coverage from the Center for Automotive Research's Management Briefing Seminars, where coping with the changing landscape and auto makers and suppliers firming up relationships through the crisis dominated the virtual event's agenda.

• Sept. 21 issue: Juan Ramon Salinas, managing director of the International Institute of Synthetic Rubber Producers, shared how the first talk of the pandemic was thought to be confined to China, and how it quickly became a global concern to the IISRP's membership.

• Oct. 5 issue: "Pressed by the Pandemic" was the headline for a front page story on Continental expanding and moving up a global restructuring plan.

• Oct. 19 issue: We published a special report trying to give perspective on a story that continued to evolve daily. One piece detailed how the industry was starting to return to normal after joining the COVID-19 efforts. There also was a breaking news story on Showa Group planning to increase capacity for nitrile gloves at its Alabama factory, one of a handful of domestic glove projects that have been announced during the pandemic.

• Oct. 2 issue: No COVID-19 stories on the front page. What we did have were two expansion stories, something that's always been bread-and-butter coverage for us, but we had not seen much of it during 2020.

• Nov. 16 issue: Page 1 had a story on how North American auto sales have begun to stabilize in the wake of the global health pandemic. Of course, vehicle sales still will be down considerably for the year, and may not reach pre-pandemic levels for several years.

But as 70 percent or so of rubber is used in automotive, that article was a good way to bring our COVID-19 coverage full circle for the year.

What will 2021 bring? Stay tuned.