Reactor at Airedale Group soared since 2021 , particularly for phosphate and urea . This is driven by the strong demand and higher input costs , despite our efforts to expand our supply partners ,” Jones says . “ Recently , prices have continued to rise , and supply has become extremely scarce , with the situation in Ukraine increasing the cost and scarcity of supply still further . We are constantly redoubling our efforts to find alternative supply partners to ensure we continue to manufacture for the horticulture and agriculture sectors .” Airedale has also worked hard to identify and source alternative suppliers of raw materials , as well as ensuring sufficient stockholding . “ 65 % of our business is the supply of raw materials , and although increased global demand has made things more difficult and costly , we have been able to ensure continued supply , by utilising our wider contacts in both the EU and China , as well as the UK ,” says Marr .
Supply chain strain
Steve Meyer , managing director of Cod Beck Blenders , has also witnessed the strains on supply chains . “ Scarcity of resources is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry currently , and has been further impacted by the invasion of Ukraine ,” he says . “ We serve a wide range of sectors , from animal health to fertilisers and building products , and all of them are affected . In some cases , supply has disappeared completely , with other products - usually available on a seven-day lead time - not available until 2023 .” To resolve this , new supply sources have been identified in India and China . While this has helped fill supply gaps , it presents additional tasks for Cod Beck ’ s buying teams . “ Once found , we still need to deal with the logistics and costs of getting these supplies delivered in the face of driver or container shortages , and rising fuel costs ,” Meyer explains .
60 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981