ABSTRACT
Purpose Manufacturing organisations are striving towards adapting and responding to the unprecedented challenges posed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, along with the operations research streams endeavouring to support their recovery. With a view to bridging our knowledge gap on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the manufacturing operations, this paper investigates the key challenges and strategies formulated by manufacturing organisations operating in the Northern region of Cyprus. Design/methodology/approach The research was conducted through 10 in-depth interviews that analyzed the effects of the pandemic, the associated causes and the response strategies implemented. Findings The effects of the pandemic on the manufacturing organisations investigated are identified, along with the associated causes, and the response strategies deployed. Learnings and countermeasures implemented to date are established in light of the insights captured from the practitioners. Originality/value Contributions are made to the body of knowledge on manufacturing management and manufacturing supply chain resilience through fostering our understanding of the impacts that the pandemic had on manufacturing organisations, and practical contributions are presented through evidencing and transferring of the operations management knowledge and solutions devised in various sectors to date.