Top 5 Industry Challenges in 2021 | Part 1

2021 continues to showcase the major interruptions within the plumbing industry, while simultaneously showing resilience, creativity, and the drive to push forward.

 

Industry Update, February 2021

We listened to The National Kitchen and Bath Institute's virtual conference this week and like you we know it’s no secret the demand for quality bathroom fixtures for home remodels and commercial projects alike is NOT slowing down. 

With this increased demand, we wanted to try and understand what challenges our customers are facing right now, in February of 2021.

• Why does it take SO LONG for some products to become back in stock?
• What Faucets are available in 2021? 

We did some research and spoke to some of our customers and competitors and tried to find answers to the questions and problems you are facing right now in February of 2021.

 

Key takeaways: 

1. Why are there continued major stocking disruptions in the industry?

As last year showed us, stocking seemed to be a major headache for many industries. But what we found is that more so than stocking in 2021 is a production issue, smaller brands are able to maximize their production output and therefore are continuing to keep up with demand. While larger brands seem to have longer lead times and are more likely to have back ordered products.

 

2. How long will these stocking delays last?

It’s hard to tell, and honestly a magic 8 ball might do a better job at telling us our future. What we do know is that based on industry average lead times range from 48 hours to 6+ weeks. All we can say is plan accordingly, and do you research on a brand before ordering. The likelihood of a product coming available that’s backordered is highly unlikely. 
 
Continued next week!