KEY POINTS:
A large number of New Zealand exporters say they take contingency planning seriously, a new survey finds.
Sixty-seven per cent of the 485 exporters surveyed by DHL have a plan to keep business operations running in the event of an interruption or emergency. Of those, 73 per cent have already communicated and tested their plan with staff.
Technical failure, such as with IT infrastructure, telecoms or manufacturing equipment, was cited as the main cause of business interruption, affecting 59 per cent of respondents. This was followed by power outages, at 38 per cent.
The survey also found a need for business continuity planning, with 58 per cent of respondents experiencing an outage lasting half a day or less in the last 12 months. Thirteen per cent experienced major downtime lasting more than half a day.
The biggest surge in emergency planning was among small and medium-sized businesses employing up to 19 employees. Some 45 per cent of those surveyed said they had developed a plan, compared with only 8 per cent in 2006.
Derek Anderson, general manager of DHL Express New Zealand, said this was a reflection of a change in mindset among small to mid-sized companies.
"Often it is the larger organisations which by sheer stint of their size and greater exposure are better organised at putting these plans in place. However, the impact of a day without business or a natural disaster can affect all companies equally. Having a plan in place beforehand mitigates the effects significantly."
Of those who do not have a business continuity plan, a third cite workload issues as a reason. A further 29 per cent claim to simply not know where to start. A quarter feel that it is not a priority, and 9 per cent cite financial restrictions. A further 4 per cent claim their IT infrastructure was outdated.
