From paintbrushes to plywood, gas to groceries, no matter what you are shopping for these days, almost everything is more expensive.
Manufacturers are facing shortages and dealing with substantial price increases for materials across the board.
Transporting raw materials is causing huge logistic issues everywhere. From a lack of packing materials and shipping containers to the actual transportation, every step of the process seems to be facing its own set of challenges which are causing dramatically higher freight costs.
The price increases manufacturers are facing are cascading through the very stressed supply chain and ultimately affecting YOUR purchasing price.
Unfortunately, wood is one of the raw materials that has become extremely expensive and hard to come by, so you may see a shortage of some of your favorite Trekell panels.
For example, ½” and ¾” Baltic birch has more than quadrupled in price. For now, we have decided to hold off on ordering any new stock until prices level out.
In addition to wood, paint companies have had issues with getting caps, bottles and pigments. We have also had a hard time keeping brushes in stock due to the increased demand and shortages of raw materials.
Also contributing to the rising cost of materials, is the decline in skilled laborers almost everywhere in the world.
So, not only is there a shortage of employees in the packing, shipping and transportation industries (ie. how we get the raw materials) but there is also a shortage of skilled laborers actually crafting the final products.
It’s difficult to say when the cost of raw materials will start to decline, but we all hope that it is sooner rather than later. There are a few things that we can do in the meantime. First, limit your use of packaging materials and recycle whenever you can.
Purchase high quality, durable items that will provide the most return on your investment. Encourage the young people in your life to consider a career as a craftsperson or skilled laborer.
We know that this is extremely frustrating. We want to be transparent and keep you, our customers, informed. Thank you, always, for your continued support, but especially now during such trying times.