ON THE PARKING LOT
Another wake up call for all !
Surviving the supply chain crunch
MARK MCLEOD
Boy oh boy ! Once again in our industry we are seeing and feeling the crunch in supply chains all across our country , but all is not lost folks ! Let ’ s take a history lesson from this current situation . As a 50 year veteran of the pavement maintenance industry , I have witnessed many shortages of supplies needed to make pavement maintenance products and application equipment . The pavement maintenance industry is a very resilient industry that seems to survive and at times flourishes with a down turned economy . Why ? We adapt ! For example , in many past economic turmoils I ’ ve lived through , pavement maintenance contractors showed marked increases in sales due to their clients cost cutting budget models during those times , instead of overlaying their asphalt parking lots and drives , they chose to maintain their existing pavement with patching , crack sealing and sealcoating , avoiding a huge capital improvement budget hit !
Savvy property owners realizing their properties look great after hiring a professional pavement maintenance contractor to patch , crack seal , and seal their lots enjoy a tremendous savings compared to overlaying , opens doors for the contractor to gain more work in these troubled economic times . Property owners also see that they can extend the service life of their pavements at a much lower cost than overlaying . Yes , there is much to be said when you are talking about resiliency in our industry when contractors and manufacturers are faced with difficult times like we are in today ! To say it has been a hard year after the Covid-19 shut down , and add a once in a lifetime polar freeze that froze 60 % of the polymer production in the USA , setting off shortages of latex , acrylic , monomers etc . All key ingredients in our industry . Anti-oil politicians have been jumping on the “ ban ” wagon reducing our supply while increasing our pricing ! This is a true problem that I feel will not be corrected until mid 2022 . Labor ! “ A big issue for contractors ” says Brad Eagle national sales director for Maintenance Inc . “ It ’ s a real problem that is not being talked about ”. We know the life blood of any professional pavement maintenance company are their employees and quality work . Contractors are struggling to find employees that want to
work . I hear the stories when they come in and it ’ s a real issue . Finding quality labor is their number one issue !” Said Eagle . “ And paying people not to work is affecting everyone who works .” As a manufacturer , I am grateful I ’ m an essential business that has kept my doors open to service my professional pavement maintenance contractors throughout the pandemic . All industry manufacturers are feeling these shortages and breaks in the supply chain . For instance , some paints and some types of sealer ingredients have also been rationed ! I can tell you when we have to tell a contractor you do not have it and no one else has it , it ’ s a heart breaker and a lost sale ! No one wins . It should be a wake-up call for all of us in the pavement maintenance contracting and manufacturing industry that we are not immune to shortages ! However , we are a resilient industry that works together to get through these troubled times .
So , I ask all pavement maintenance contractors to understand that their manufacturer is , as we all are , ‘’ trying ” to keep the products flowing and available through this unusual situation . Many supply chains have been rationing ingredients www . callape . com [ 30 ] 1.800.210.5923