What You Need to Know About Supply-Chain Bottlenecks, Material Shortages and Shipping Delays in 2021

Since the start of the pandemic, supply-chain bottlenecks, material, and labor shortages have created disruptions in nearly every industry. Coined the Great Supply Chain Disruption in a recent article in  the New York Times, this impact is felt globally. In 2021 lead times are increasing, and prices are escalating.

Why Is this Happening?

Beginning in March 2020, industries have encountered disruptions on every front. The initial Covid lockdowns produced the first bottlenecks. Demand for certain products met an all-time high, which was combined with labor shortages and restrictions that prevented timely fulfillment. Additional Covid spikes in manufacturing locales and material shortages, followed by more shipping delays have turned into a globally experienced disruption in 2021.

In 2021, shipping containers continue to be backed up at ports, preventing manufacturers from accessing imported materials to assemble their products. Shortages of raw materials, including copper, aluminum, lumber to steel, have in caused pricing spikes. Similarly, as labor shortages continue and affect the reliability of shipping carriers like UPS and Fedex, all these issues culminate into widespread delays and price increases.

How Will This Impact My Existing Furniture Order or Upcoming Project?

The furniture industry has been one of the most impacted by these global supply chain disruptions. While shipping carriers, manufacturers and industry specialists are working together to resolve these issues, we are unfortunately still in the midst of this crisis. As the cost of raw materials surge, this has forced furniture manufacturers to raise their prices on certain in-demand products. Lead times have increased from a few weeks, to sometimes even a few months.

These delays are unavoidable and are expected to continue into the year ahead. If you have an upcoming project, we strongly advise consulting one of our office furniture experts to construct a timeline for your project. The sooner an order for your furniture is placed, , the greater likelihood you will receive your furniture on schedule.

Our Team is Working on Solutions to Navigate these Issues

As a company, we believe in transparency and informing our clients about the latest news regarding the global supply chain disruption. Our team has been working around the clock with our different manufacturing partners to keep track of the individual product shortages and timelines to ensure that our clients receive their furniture on schedule.

At OFH, we have ongoing relationships with over 200+ manufacturing partners and are confident that together we will navigate these current issues. We will also be able to work with clients to ensure, where one partner cannot fulfill an order on a client’s timeline, alternatives that may carry better fulfillment lead times. Additionally, our agile operations team has been working through our clients’ orders and following up with our delivery/installation team to receive the most up-to-date information about scheduling and delivery timelines. We are confident that we can help our clients receive their furniture within the best possible timeline.

We are looking forward to working with our clients and helping them navigate through these challenges. If you have questions regarding an upcoming or existing project, we strongly advise you to reach out to our team for the latest updates.


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