Global Logistics Delays - Still an Issue

[Ray]

As many of you know, after more than ten years of selling Kelpak under the KelpMax name (at the producer's request), they have changed their mind and asked that I sell it under the original name. All that has to happen is the arrival of a container of prepackaged, prelabeled product from South Africa...

Normal, pre-pandemic transit time from South Africa to the US warehouse has been 60-65 days, so I should have received my first shipment about the middle of February.

Currently, however, the vessel is bobbing around on the ocean, with a warehouse ETA of April 30, meaning I might see the stuff by mid-May.

Sheesh. Hope my inventory can last another 6 weeks.

[Clawhammer]

I manage logistics in North America for a large multinational manufacturer. The last 2 years have been an absolute nightmare. Starting to see light at the end of the tunnel

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Clawhammer

I manage logistics in North America for a large multinational manufacturer. The last 2 years have been an absolute nightmare. Starting to see light at the end of the tunnel

That's funny...before I retired, I was the global logistics/purchasing/customer service director for a large chemical manufacturer. Glad I'm not doing that now. It was hard enough finding isotanks, let alone a vessel to put them on!

[Clawhammer]

Originally Posted by Ray

That's funny...before I retired, I was the global logistics/purchasing/customer service director for a large chemical manufacturer. Glad I'm not doing that now. It was hard enough finding isotanks, let alone a vessel to put them on!

ISO Tanks are the bane of my existence. We ship hazardous bonded material and it is impossible to find capacity. Find a tank but no chasis. Find a tank+chasis, no bonded drivers available. At that point, I go water orchids

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Clawhammer

ISO Tanks are the bane of my existence. We ship hazardous bonded material and it is impossible to find capacity. Find a tank but no chasis. Find a tank+chasis, no bonded drivers available. At that point, I go water orchids

My biggest issue was shipping a hot-melt adhesive to France.

Fill the tank hot = hazardous, so you need a bonded driver.

By the time it got to the port, floated across the pond, and staged for the customer, it was solid, so had to be steamed for about 48-72 hours to reheat and remelt it - EXCEPT French workers don't work over the weekend, so deliveries were made Wednesday to Friday only...

I believe I said this earlier, but I don't miss it at all!