Why is The Supply Chain Broken? – The Proactive Email We Sent our Customers
Crooked Monkey is a merchandise agency – we make premium swag – which means we touch all parts of the supply chain from China to the US. It also means that we often mutter to ourselves “OMG, why is the supply chain broken?”
You’ve probably noticed that everywhere you look there are delays and issues with the products you need. Though we thought these nightmares ended in the toilet paper aisle, its clear we will be seeing a delay all across the supply chain industry for quite some time.
Below is an email we sent to our customers to give some insight into why there are supply chain bottlenecks. We got so much positive feedback on the pro-active nature of the email, we decided to share it as a blog and on our LinkedIn in hopes that the information can be helpful to others as well. If you’re looking for some insight on the delay of the supply chain industry, keep reading, Crooked Monkey has you covered.
The Email - Why is The Supply Chain Broken?
Hi Crooked Monkey Jungler (client)!
Thank you for trusting us with your gear.
Our industry (and really all industries) are experiencing a swap of supply/demand forces and we wanted to take a minute to let you know how we’re handling it and explain why it’s happening.
In anticipation of the boom we’ve expanded our team, our manufacturing partners and our capacity throughout the last few months. But even so, our orders are taking a little longer than we’d like, and we want to proactively inform you of the situation.
Why Is The Supply Chain Broken?
- The “Covid Ramp Up” is real. Turning on an economy is not a lightswitch 🙂
- There are inventory issues throughout the country, not just in our industry but with gas, computer chips, swimming pools, gym classes, Uber rides…
- For most of the last year, our suppliers were trying to draw down their inventory because no one was buying. Now, everyone is buying (great news!) and supply has not caught up to demand.
- Hiring at manufacturing plants is also proving difficult for two reasons. After a year of inactivity many employees were laid off. Hiring requires training, and training doesn’t happen overnight. It is also hard to hire new employees in the current environment.
What this means for you:
- We are working to make sure that we hit your event dates and in hand dates. We feel confident that we will continue to hit your deadlines.
- Production time for non rush orders is currently about 10-17 business days. Pre-Covid it was 5-10 business days. For completely custom orders abroad it is currently around 3-6 weeks.
- We are continuing to add capacity, so that we can be back to our normal 5-10 business day turnaround for domestic orders.
- If you have a rush, or a specific date something is needed, we will figure it out. We always do. We’re really good at getting it done 🙂
Next steps:
- If you have an order, and we already know about your event date – we’ll make sure we will hit it.
- We should be back to normal manufacturing production time soon, but inventory will continue to be an issue for the next six months as goods slowly trickle into the USA.
- The majority of our screen printing and embroidery is already done in the USA. We are also adding USA manufacturing of goods into our supply chain. If you prefer USA made, please let us know!
- If you have an event date, let us know so we can tailor our recommendations around your needs and pre-empt inventory issues.
- We are not shying away from this challenge! If you have a rush – we will figure it out.
Thanks for your support and happy (almost) return to normal!
Feel free to respond to me or your Crooked Monkey expert with questions/comments/future projects. And see attached for some fun projects we’ve recently done.
Before You Go, You Should Also Know...
Before you go, you should also know that Crooked Monkey offers some of the most quality custom apparel around, with unbelievable designs that are completely custom to you and your brand. Don’t believe us? That’s okay, but we promise, we’re not too good to be true. Checkout some of our most recent custom cut projects and see for yourself just why they call us the Custom Apparel Experts.
These are only just a few examples of our work, but the proof is endless on our Instagram. Follow us @crookedmonkey for a further look at some of our awesome pieces we have designed, behind the scenes with the team, and highlight of some of our favorite clients and their brands.
Are You Interested in Designing Custom Swag for Your Brand or Business?
If you are interested in designing Custom Apparel for your brand or business, dont hesitate. Custom Swag from Crooked Monkey is exactly what you need to elevate your brand. So what are we waiting for? Reach out, and let’s get started designing today!
