by Freedonia Industry Studies
June 17, 2021
Business is booming for many, but the question is…how’s inventory and how are the stocks of key supplies looking? With major ocean shippers struggling to fully meet contract commitments and limited other available space on ocean liners, logistical challenges remain.
Home Depot – a major importer which had resorted to costly air freight to keep tool stocks up during this era of high demand and production challenges – recently announced that it has booked its own ship dedicated to carrying only its goods between China and the US. Companies without the means to take this step for its own charter have started ordering shipments for holiday season stocks earlier than usual – now or earlier, rather than August and September. However, as other companies make that move, it could lead to more delays and congestion in ports.
Even if taking the the unprecedented step of contracting a dedicated ship, retailers still face potential port congestion. It also leaves us wondering…will there be enough trucking capacity to move the goods that make it to port by the holiday season? That has been a challenge this whole pandemic era and continues to cause breaks or delays in logistics supply chains.
Companies will continue to get creative, but customers will still have to order early and be prepared for delays in delivery for at least the near term.
For more information and discussion of opportunities, see The Freedonia Group’s extensive collection of off-the-shelf research, particularly in the Construction and Building Products and Consumer Goods areas, as well as Freedonia Focus titles such as Freight by Waterway: United States, Freight Services: United States, Freight by Rail: United States, and Freight by Truck: United States. Freedonia Custom Research is also available for questions requiring tailored market intelligence.