State of the Industry: What Continued Supply Chain Disruptions Mean for your Product Orders
As the world continues to try to get back to the business of doing business, the promotional and print industries, like so many others, are still experiencing supply chain woes, as well as, production and shipping challenges. We can anticipate that the current lockdowns in Shanghai, which is one of the world's largest seaports, will exacerbate these challenges in the months to come.
What does this mean for you?
- The availability of products and/or colors shown on presentations and sales orders are not guaranteed until we have order confirmation from our supplier factories. We are seeing inventory levels change rapidly, and we are in constant communication with our supplier partners for up-to-date inventory. If any concerns should arise we will communicate those with you.
- We are experiencing longer than usual production times, running anywhere from 10-30 business days once the artwork proof has been approved. Our supplier partners are actively trying to increase staffing and training to meet the daily production demand while maintaining safe work environments for their employees. We will communicate production times for your project once the order is confirmed.
Here are some things you can do to help alleviate potential delays:
- Plan ahead: Place orders as far in advance as possible to allow room for any stock issues, as well as, production and shipping delays. In most cases this means allowing at least 3+ weeks for production, plus shipping. At this time we cannot accept rush orders, or guarantee delivery dates and shipping times. The reality is that last-minute orders won't make it in the timeframes we’ve been used to in the past.
- Be flexible: Having a second choice or alternative option is advised in the event that your first choice is not available. This is especially important for apparel orders. We are still seeing lots of gaps in apparel availability and stock levels change daily…sometimes even hourly. We are doing our best to stay on top of these changes and will always notify you if a substitution needs to be made.
Our service depends on a lot of things to happen reliably. As always, it is our goal to eliminate your stress. Our promise to you is to continue providing timely communication and fast reflexes. We appreciate your business and are grateful for the trust you've put in Brand Stratos as your branding partner.