Long Lead Times: Supply Chain Issues Expected to Persist into 2023
Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020 the market has experienced a series of shifts in supply and demand, labor trends and infrastructure changes. Despite mandates being lifted and vaccines becoming available, it is clear that some changes that have occurred in the last few years won’t be so quickly left in the rear view.
One thing we can predict with confidence is the continuation of long lead times on materials and equipment. This includes not only the ability to get parts made, but also getting them shipped in a timely manner. It isn’t just the manufacturers who are behind, shipping companies across the board are experiencing delays, labor shortages, and a number of other issues that mean shipping times are going to be extended.
What does this mean for your project? If you are serious about getting a job done soon, start taking action as soon as possible. Due to the volatility of the supply chain bids for project costs have a much shorter shelf life than they might have five years ago. You may only have 10-30 days to make a decision before the timeline and prices change.
Equipment that used to arrive within a week of ordering is taking an average of 6-8 weeks. Our advice to our customers is to be as diligent as possible. The sooner you react to any issues that arise, the better, because wait times can be considerable.
It is always our priority to provide solutions to our customers as well and as quickly as possible. It is also important to us to be as transparent as we can. To that end, our project managers are in regular communication with our customers to keep them up to date on timing and pricing changes.