Chandlery Supply delivery problems?

[FD Sea Dog]

Are any of you experiencing Chandlery Supply delivery problems?

My UK suppliers are having difficulty on two fronts.
1. The Chandlery Supply Chain (Parts from Manufactures)
2. Customs (In my case the U.S. Customs - Sent via FedEx & TNT)

My U.S. Chandleries also seem to have limited inventories (Out-of-Stock)

RWO is said to have be having Supply Chain problems.

Just wondering if you are seeing the same problem(s).

 

[martin 'hoff]

... who isn't? – I broke a Nacra 15 mast just before a regatta and working with Red Gear Racing we found I think the only spare in the US.

I know of a batch of small catamarans got severely delayed in their cross-atlantic shipping due to shipping companies pulling abusive "we're overbooked your container gets unloaded from the ship" stunts. I've heard of shipping companies saying "pay more – over a long-term contracted rate – or we won't honor our shipping schedule with you". Then people pay more and yet shippers don't honor shipping schedule.

 

[Major Tom]

Welcome to the real world. We build boats for export and have 2 containers leaving per month, mainly for the UK. Shipping is a nightmare, with a shortage of containers as well. On top of that we have delays in imported goods arriving, from Ampreg resin to Corecell, as well as world wide shortages of 12k UD carbon. Every person in management that I speak to in every business that I deal with has the same problems, in every country in the world.

 

[FD Sea Dog]

Do you think that the Sailing Industrial Supply-Chain as a whole does not do enough to diversify Sources and Manufacturing?
(For example, to my recollection I have never bought anything from South America or Central America (Mex), Africa, etc. ...)

Do you think the Industry's Supply chains have become to dependent on China for goods?

Visualizing Countries by Their Largest Trading Partner (1960-2020)
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/biggest-trade-partner-of-each-country-1960-2020/

Global Trading Partners in 2020

IMO - I don't think We (The Sailing Industry) are in a healthy place. The Supply-Chain sustainability is not redundant enough to survive.
What it there is a War with China - there you go ... everything stops.

Do any of you purchase out of Ukraine? Obviously the spice is not going to flow.
Brexit, Have any of you experienced non-deliverables or transit snares because of it?

Just trying to understand what You might be experiencing, so that I may be better prepared for the coming future.
Business wise (and Personally), I can only Stock-Pile so much stuff (inventory). We have gotten so dependent upon JIT (Just -In-Time)
economically to balance the Books, that our inventory systems are vulnerable to Global Trade Shocks.

 

[Alan Crawford]

Do you think that the Sailing Industrial Supply-Chain as a whole does not do enough to diversify Sources and Manufacturing?
(For example, to my recollection I have never bought anything from South America or Central America (Mex), Africa, etc. ...)

Do you think the Industry's Supply chains have become to dependent on China for goods?

Visualizing Countries by Their Largest Trading Partner (1960-2020)
https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/biggest-trade-partner-of-each-country-1960-2020/

Global Trading Partners in 2020

IMO - I don't think We (The Sailing Industry) are in a healthy place. The Supply-Chain sustainability is not redundant enough to survive.
What it there is a War with China - there you go ... everything stops.

Do any of you purchase out of Ukraine? Obviously the spice is not going to flow.
Brexit, Have any of you experienced non-deliverables or transit snares because of it?

Just trying to understand what You might be experiencing, so that I may be better prepared for the coming future.
Business wise (and Personally), I can only Stock-Pile so much stuff (inventory). We have gotten so dependent upon JIT (Just -In-Time)
economically to balance the Books, that our inventory systems are vulnerable to Global Trade Shocks.

@Dave Clarkwho, builds UFO's and Rocket's in the USA, had a great post about how he is dealing with supply chain issues in, I think, the UFO and / or Rocket threads here on DA. Dave and his Fulcrum colleagues are doing many things right as this has become a very successful USA-based small boat building business!

 

[WCB]

In December I ordered some new Schaefer T track for my J22 and it's still not in.

 

[martin 'hoff]

Do you think that the Sailing Industrial Supply-Chain as a whole does not do enough to diversify Sources and Manufacturing?

Diversifying sources is best practice ... it is also costly, and brushes against constraints such as MOQs. Sailing industry is low volume, it's hard to get your suppliers' attention when you are small volume buyer, and then having 2 suppliers for that input, now you have half the volume with each.

When you are operating at small volumes, you are a bit at sea when supply chains wobble.

 

[Mudsailor]

Even power boats are all messed up…….brother runs a small place and last week Honda redelivered all the stuff again from last year…..that was ordered in 2020…….took so long that everything got reordered…..

talked to another friend, well known powerboat builder…..ordered 15 windshields….received 3! Everyone is on allocation, some suppliers are better than others. Fiberglass is OK, engines not too bad, but some other stuff, good luck!

 

[bluelaser2]

We are in a time of rapid technological and political change.   The economics of complex, multicomponent manufacturing and ownership are going in opposite directions.  True manufacturing costs as a proportion of downstream maintenance costs are constantly decreasing.  Just as with the Airbus A-380, the cost of owning the thing is a lot more than expected, while the cost of making the thing is about the same as ever.  

Like complex aircraft, the day where whole fleets of cars, boats, houses, etc. will be retired because its cheaper to just build new is coming.  Everything will be disposable because fixing it will just cost more than making it all over.   

 

[FD Sea Dog]

Diversifying sources is best practice ... it is also costly, and brushes against constraints such as MOQs. Sailing industry is low volume, it's hard to get your suppliers' attention when you are small volume buyer, and then having 2 suppliers for that input, now you have half the volume with each.

When you are operating at small volumes, you are a bit at sea when supply chains wobble.

martin 'hoff

That has insight!  Minimum Order Quantity (MOQs) and balancing 'Your Bet' that the end Product will sell enough units at a given (predicted) minimum price,
will keep you viable to the next Season.

I think sometimes that a Co-op for Components would be a good solution, Then you look at Amazon and realize that it in a way is already a co-op (in a way) of Sellers. For instance, You can't find 'Stainless Steel Shackles'  cheaper else where and they Ship it direct (from China).
And if You do your Homework, you can find the Manufacture (China) through Amazon and contact them direct.  
So the Amazon Warehouse all ready acts as the Co-op.

A way around that may be to open a 'Co-op Store' on Amazon (If it is allowed), in this way Co-op Members can buy at Suppliers best-price without Minimum Order Quantity.

Anyway its just a thought - Thanks Martin

We are in a time of rapid technological and political change.   The economics of complex, multi-component manufacturing and ownership are going in opposite directions.  True manufacturing costs as a proportion of downstream maintenance costs are constantly decreasing.  Just as with the Airbus A-380, the cost of owning the thing is a lot more than expected, while the cost of making the thing is about the same as ever.  

Like complex aircraft, the day where whole fleets of cars, boats, houses, etc. will be retired because its cheaper to just build new is coming.  Everything will be disposable because fixing it will just cost more than making it all over.   

bluelaser2
YES, I totally hear you. Just read an Article about that, "...True manufacturing costs as a proportion of downstream maintenance costs are constantly decreasing. ...".
And that is compounded by the rising cost of New product(s), of which are selling at a lower rate than expected.

Re:
Average Age of US Cars Hits Record 12.2 Years in Fifth Straight Annual Increase
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-05-23/average-age-of-us-cars-tops-12-years-amid-supply-price-woes

I wounder what the Average Age of a Sailboat/Craft in terms of an Individual Buyer's replacement/turnover is [?].

Thanks bluelaser2
 

 

[martin 'hoff]

think sometimes that a Co-op for Components would be a good solution

What ppl usually do it use a contract manufacturer. You + competitors + adjacent or similar products all built in the same facility. The manufacturer buys in bulk for everyone across the common components.

You're on your own for your unique components. Sucks but it's a lot less surface 

This is all sop in the mfg industry, the basics really. If you're making something, you need someone in your team who knows this and a lot more.

 

[Foredeck Shuffle]

We are in a time of rapid technological and political change.   The economics of complex, multicomponent manufacturing and ownership are going in opposite directions.  True manufacturing costs as a proportion of downstream maintenance costs are constantly decreasing.  Just as with the Airbus A-380, the cost of owning the thing is a lot more than expected, while the cost of making the thing is about the same as ever.  

Like complex aircraft, the day where whole fleets of cars, boats, houses, etc. will be retired because its cheaper to just build new is coming.  Everything will be disposable because fixing it will just cost more than making it all over.   

We are in a time when every supply chain has been squeezed to its utmost profitability, be it medicine or jumping jacks.  Nothing is made unless it was needed yesterday.  Introduce any problems at all into such a system and the availability of toys, tools, food, and medicine evaporates.  The response is not to improve the supply, it is to increase prices and profit quickly before new providers come to market.  Then just claim inflation, supply chain issues, etc.

Welcome to late stage capitalism.