Winter Equipment encourages early orders of snowplow equipment in order to avoid shortages brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. As demand for snowplow equipment typically increases in late summer, some expect delivery times to also increase.
“This pandemic has greatly impacted the supply chain,” says Kent Winter, founder and CEO of Winter Equipment. “Not only is there a concern for manufacturing capacity, logistics issues are also playing a role in the timely delivery of materials.”
Low-bid purchasing has moved many products and supplies in recent years to foreign countries. Snowplow components, particularly a large portion of carbide inserts for snowplow blades, fall into this category. With the COVID-19 pandemic, world manufacturing stopped for three months. Therefore compared to last year, up to one-quarter of supplies produced are not available or will be delayed this year. A supply chain interruption of raw materials sourced primarily from steel mills and rubber manufacturers in China is also expected. This could lead many products to be in short supply.
Low-bid suppliers also typically operate on low profit margins and have even less capital to inventory products. This also means increased lead times or no inventory at all. For overseas suppliers that do have inventory, container shipments are estimated to run three months behind.
PREPARE AHEAD
In March, when the US was initially impacted by COVID-19, Winter Equipment anticipated potential material shortages and proactively ordered materials from its trusted partners to ensure that it would have adequate raw materials for the season ahead.
“Municipalities and contractors must be prepared for the snow season ahead of us,” Winter says. “It’s likely that snowplow equipment may be in short or delayed supply. By ordering your equipment early, manufacturers can get orders into manufacturing and on their delivery schedules.”
More and more municipalities and contractors see the importance of using high-quality, performance-engineered snow blades that virtually eliminate in-season blade changes, reduce downtime and increase performance.
“Now, it is more important than ever to order US-made, high-quality, cutting edge systems that last the entire season,” Winter adds. “With potential labor shortages and reduced budgets, a single-sourced system that is guaranteed actually saves money in the long run.”
Winter Equipment provides wear factor ratings for many of its products, which is its cutting-edge blade’s ability to extend wear life and eliminate frequent blade changes. In an effort to provide quality products as the low-cost alternative, the company emphasizes that it is not the purchase price, but the overall cost of use that counts.
Winter Equipment systems ship free and are ready to mount with all parts, hardware, and directions in a single box. Because the systems are complete, purchasing is simplified, and installation is easy.
Find out more, visit www.winterequipment.com.
