To our valued customers:
I’m sure you’ve all kept up with the news of what’s happening in the construction supply chain. In addition to skyrocketing prices, we at CIP Finishes are seeing supply-chain disruption, which increases wait time, and sometimes cost, for our clients. I’m writing to you today because I hear you. We, too, are frustrated, and are doing everything we can to furnish and install the products you want on-time and on-budget.
Here’s what we’re all up against:
- Many suppliers have lengthy delays. For example, Delta recently put a 120-day delay on all bath accessories. Any product made with steel is also backordered, including bike racks, fire extinguisher cabs and other items, due to demand being at an all-time high. This means some products will have to be changed to meet deadlines. Delta tells us this will last until at least the early fourth quarter of 2021.
- Moen has also been in touch about delays. Recent communications warned that delays are coming, but they are not limiting items we can buy, and are not planning any increases in price.
- The backorders are not limited to certain finishes or suppliers—all items and brands appear to be affected. For example, we’ve also gotten word that some blinds are out of stock or unavailable.
Delays started at the beginning of this year, and we have seen a significant increase in the past few months. Several suppliers have stated backorders are resulting from increased demand—and are a particular problem for items imported from China. The latest delays have been attributed to sea container shortages for imported materials and freight driver shortages, which directly impact our ability to track delivery times—many deliveries show up without notice or are delayed from a day to a week or more.
The finishes scope of work has always been challenging due to the logistics involved. Recent material shortages have been even more difficult to keep up with because they change weekly, meaning our employees must work harder to ensure materials arrive on the jobsite when needed. What was available when the job was bid suddenly becomes unavailable, and we have to begin the replacement process. This involves finding a similar option with the same finish and size with the client’s approval. This process normally takes months—it must now be accomplished in a week or less.
We are committed to redoubling our efforts to get the best products at the best price for our clients, and our team’s deep knowledge across many brands and product lines after more than three decades in the business is proving to be an asset in this process. We pledge to keep you informed, communicating the latest lead times so you can adjust your plans as needed. These communications are going out weekly, or twice a week in some cases, as information becomes available. We are also providing our customers with options for last-minute material changes if approved items have become delayed.
I want to thank our employees for their exceptional service, especially over the past several months. They have come together, worked as a team and gone above and beyond their typical responsibilities to ensure our customers are informed and material procurement delays are minimized. I appreciate the extra efforts employees are making to ensure things go as smoothly as possible in spite of supply-chain issues.
We hope the market will stabilize soon. In the meantime, we will keep you informed and help you find the best products at every step of your project.
-Paul Milde, President, CIP Finishes