NEWS
THIS MONTH
THE STORIES TO READ , THE PODS TO LISTEN TO AND THE MEDIA TO GET STUCK IN TO .
THE VIEW FROM HERE
WITH UNCERTAINTY AND VOLATILITY A SEEMING FACT OF LIFE , WE ' RE ALL WAITING WITH BATED BREATH TO SEE HOW 2022 PANS OUT , SAYS GEMCELL GM TRACY BENNETT . BUT FIRST , THE FESTIVE SEASON !
There ’ s no doubt that uncertainty and volatility continue , both within the electrical industry and in the general day-to-day humdrum . As lockdowns ease , people have different levels of comfort with returning to the semblance of a ' normal ' lifestyle . Are your customers confident to have you in their homes or are they postponing repairs and renovations while they see how all things Covid pan out over the coming weeks and months ?
Availability of raw materials is still a concern . Timber shortages are leading to rationing in hardware stores and this can impact our industry due to delays in building . Specific to electrical products , copper and PVC , which are key components in the manufacture of many commercial , residential , and industrial products , remain in short supply .
As we flagged last issue , supply of some products is in question and freight issues are still affecting the supply chain . We ’ re finding supply of small , simple components is particularly difficult to secure with a knock-on effect at both manufacture and wholesale level .
Manufacturer price increases are still coming thick and fast . We expect this to trend to continue and you must be prepared to adapt .
Looking forward , typically , Chinese New Year squeezes the supply chain . Our supplier partners are being proactive by trying to bring forward orders to mitigate disruption . Get your orders in early with your local Gemcell branch and plan ahead to secure the products you need !
Christmas is around the corner and here at Gemcell we ’ re looking forward to the festive break . Don ’ t forget the Gemcell Trade Diary is available now ( see p39 ). We wish you all happy holidays !
START ‘ EM YOUNG !
Looking for the perfect present for a kid ? Take a look at Circuit Maze , the ‘ electrical current logic game ’. Using a 5x5 grid , players draw a challenge cart and then need to insert mechanical components to make a working circuit in order to turn on a light . It ’ s available across Australia , including from Australian Geographic , with an RRP of $ 69.95 .
GEMCELL – PROUDLY PART OF IMELCO
Gemcell is part of IMELCO , the global independent wholesalers network . For 30 years , IMELCO has stood for sustainable devlopment of its associated companies . It now operates in 22 countries through more than 1100 wholesale businsses .
ESTABLISHED :
1991
1100 ASSOCIATED WHOLESALERS
MEMBERS :
16
5500 POINT OF SALE
COUNTRIES :
22
FROM THE ARCHIVES
ISSUE 124 , DEC 2014 / JAN 2015
Seven years ago , we were looking forward in time , wondering what 2020 would look like for the average electrician … some things we got spot on ( digital paperwork , quotes and invoicing , for example , and a whole host of information sharing online making things easier for all of us ). While some of the other things our expert predicted ( never having to wait for parts again because you ’ ve got a 3D printer in your van for some parts , and drones delivering the rest to the site you ’ re working at ) haven ’ t quite arrived just yet .
8 GEMCELL . COM . AU DEC – JAN 2022