With the latest news that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has now declared COVID-19 a pandemic and with the US also restricting all travel from Europe* for the next 30 days, we wanted to continue to update our customers on the impact this might have on their current/potential merchandise orders.
The latest from China: Most of the factories in China (barring those in Wuhan and the Hubei Province) are now open and back at work. Whilst there is a mood of cautious optimism, delays are still expected and it will be a while until it’s back to ‘business as usual’. Staff shortages, limited stock (some fabrics and ink colours might not be available) and the knock-on effect from businesses who have not managed to withstand the financial fallout are in part to blame. Production speeds are also dependent on the type of production line and how automated it is, the more labour required the slower the turnaround. Although there are now enough truck/delivery drivers, longer quarantine restrictions and a shortage of available shipping containers are also contributing to the delays. Air freight wise, there is a shortage at the moment and it may get worse. The impact on us and our clients is longer air freight times and higher associated costs. With a multi-tiered supply chain, even limited delays at each stage means we are strongly advising our clients to still allow for a 4-6 week contingency plan for any products that are currently on order. We suggest that any large orders or activations out of China between now and the end of the year – yes, even Christmas orders – should be brought forward wherever possible.
Closer to Home: With the global impact on the industry in strife, it’s a smart time to think about fulfilling your promotional product needs closer to home. If you do need merchandise fast and require a level of certainty then we would suggest working with one of our 400+ local suppliers. They currently have good stock levels, with merchandise that can be branded locally and delivered in shorter time frames.
How Inck are managing the impact: In a fast-moving situation, getting real-time info is more important than ever. The decisions we make on a day-to-day basis are coming first hand from Chinese language sources and our contacts on the ground. Our buying and production manager receives regular updates from both the suppliers we work with and his friends and family living in China. We are also across all regular Australian Government Department of Health updates and are keeping a keen eye on any travel restrictions that would further impact incoming orders. We are actively seeking alternative ways to ensure our client’s promotional merchandise is delivered on time. By taking a very hands-on and agile approach, we are better able to manage our orders and funnel them through the fastest moving channels.
Please get in touch if you’re being affected and would like our advice. In the meantime, we will be posting regular updates as the situation changes.
And, if you need promotional merchandise over the coming months, give the team at Inck a call today and let’s see if we can help 🙂
#coronavirus #promotionalproducts #pandemic #china #brandedmerchandise
* Donald Trump said that the “strong but necessary” restrictions would not apply to the UK and the restriction would be limited to people not goods.
With the latest news that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has now declared COVID-19 a pandemic and with the US also restricting all travel from Europe* for the next 30 days, we wanted to continue to update our customers on the impact this might have on their current/potential merchandise orders.
The latest from China: Most of the factories in China (barring those in Wuhan and the Hubei Province) are now open and back at work. Whilst there is a mood of cautious optimism, delays are still expected and it will be a while until it’s back to ‘business as usual’. Staff shortages, limited stock (some fabrics and ink colours might not be available) and the knock-on effect from businesses who have not managed to withstand the financial fallout are in part to blame. Production speeds are also dependent on the type of production line and how automated it is, the more labour required the slower the turnaround. Although there are now enough truck/delivery drivers, longer quarantine restrictions and a shortage of available shipping containers are also contributing to the delays. Air freight wise, there is a shortage at the moment and it may get worse. The impact on us and our clients is longer air freight times and higher associated costs. With a multi-tiered supply chain, even limited delays at each stage means we are strongly advising our clients to still allow for a 4-6 week contingency plan for any products that are currently on order. We suggest that any large orders or activations out of China between now and the end of the year – yes, even Christmas orders – should be brought forward wherever possible.
Closer to Home: With the global impact on the industry in strife, it’s a smart time to think about fulfilling your promotional product needs closer to home. If you do need merchandise fast and require a level of certainty then we would suggest working with one of our 400+ local suppliers. They currently have good stock levels, with merchandise that can be branded locally and delivered in shorter time frames.
How Inck are managing the impact: In a fast-moving situation, getting real-time info is more important than ever. The decisions we make on a day-to-day basis are coming first hand from Chinese language sources and our contacts on the ground. Our buying and production manager receives regular updates from both the suppliers we work with and his friends and family living in China. We are also across all regular Australian Government Department of Health updates and are keeping a keen eye on any travel restrictions that would further impact incoming orders. We are actively seeking alternative ways to ensure our client’s promotional merchandise is delivered on time. By taking a very hands-on and agile approach, we are better able to manage our orders and funnel them through the fastest moving channels.
Please get in touch if you’re being affected and would like our advice. In the meantime, we will be posting regular updates as the situation changes.
And, if you need promotional merchandise over the coming months, give the team at Inck a call today and let’s see if we can help 🙂
#coronavirus #promotionalproducts #pandemic #china #brandedmerchandise
* Donald Trump said that the “strong but necessary” restrictions would not apply to the UK and the restriction would be limited to people not goods.
