Welcoming in The New Year ~ 2021

Let’s have a look at what this year might bring.

On any given day you still cant seem to rub two brine tanks together to save your soul, so we can safely assume 2021 might go down as the year of the back-order. There are going to be things that aren’t available for periods of time and just like the example of the missing brine tanks, this will delay other things like water softeners. Missing small parts, and components will affect the normal delivery of other goods, this is happening now and it will continue.

For example, in our service department we have been waiting a month for a specialty tool needed for the repair of a system at a local border crossing. Careful job and project planning has never been more important.

One manufacturer that I was speaking with just days ago suggested that we plan for manufacturing and storing our sales needs 12 weeks in advance. Not only was this recommended for the reasoning of small delays from subparts manufactures delays but also the new ocean shipping delays. There are fewer boats on the seas right now so one must be ready for their shipping window or risk adding 4 to 6 weeks onto receiving their goods. Last week Wolseley one of the largest plumbing suppliers in the world sent out a report highlighting the challenges it is facing receiving common parts and fittings. The article detailed a unique issue at a port in India where there were no available sea-cans, containers to load the goods into, and in turn load the ships with. Interesting times indeed.

Stocking up is not panic buying, its smart buying in an unpredictable global market place. Anyone that tells you different is either just trying to get what you want before it runs out or still has their head in the pre-covid sand.

Not sure that we will be seeing too many new things this year, new tech takes a lot of money and time and most companies whether they have done well or not in the last year will have spent much of their precious resources adapting to the changes. This might not leave much room for innovation. What we might see is the existing new tech that may not have been embraced to its fullest potential see a big spike in its adoption. A small practical example of this is the new tech in leak detectors like the FLO which in the last couple years have become true smart devices. Imagine having a flood in this year with all that’s going on, staying in a hotel or with relatives, people marching in and out of your home, the endless meetings and purchase trips to fix all of this. All because you didn’t have a device to protect you (your insurance company will discount you for owing one) from water damage.

So, I toast The Year of The Back-Order with my coffee cup and resign myself that I must endeavor to work a little smarter in 2021.

Cheers,

The Water Guy