And informal talks occur whenever corporate representatives get together. Eramo reported that on his recent travel through Northeast Asia, discussions about Y2K either what companies had done or were planning from a manufacturing standpoint occurred at almost every one of his meetings. In fact, most chemical companies are more concerned about how utilities shutdowns and transportation problems will impact their processes than they are about how their own systems will perform. Such problems are particularly important in some of the more economically strapped countries, where national Y2K readiness has taken a backseat to ongoing socioeconomic and political concerns. Government Y2K coordinators in Africa, for instance, recently requested financial assistance from industrialized nations and multilateral organizations to underwrite their national Y2K efforts.
Most contingency plans involve a large dose of common sense.
Non-essential systems and batch jobs can be shut down. Companies can prepare to revert to manual systems for their operations should problems arise at midnight on December 31, 1999. Companies report handing out walkie talkies and other battery powered, portable communication devices in the event that telephone service is lost, and generators will run systems disabled by power outages. As December 31 approaches, global communication is also providing a way for companies to track and prepare for actual Y2K problems. And informal networks have also been established.