COVID-19: Consumers feeling pain of bottlenecks in global supply-chain ─Survey

*A recent market review indicated businesses cannot get all the needed materials and parts to make products, as consumers express frustration with shortages and extended delivery times for a wide range of products

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

As most economies across the world are yet experiencing the disruptive third wave of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, virus-related supply-chain issues continue to plague both small-scale businesses and large corporations, according to a recent review.

The survey indicated that from restaurants to boat dealers, companies are complaining they cannot get needed products and parts to continue in business.

Consumers are also noticing this development, as a scan of recent reviews posted to ConsumerAffairs showed frustration with shortages and extended delivery times for a wide range of products.

William, of Aliquippa, Pa., in the United States (US) for instance, bought a Husqvarna lawn tractor he did not really want because of limited options.

William wrote in his review: “I was unhappy with it from the start. First off it rattles like an old tin can.

“No doubt some loose part that I will be able to fix, but not a good impression when I just spent north of $3,000 on it.”

Several people building houses are also running into frustrating delays, report said.

Christopher, of Durham, N.C., also related in his post, that his town home was supposed to be completed June 2021.

“I cannot get a clear estimate on completion (current estimate is October; completion has been moved back three times now) partially due to the sewer system hook-up issues which “I am told requires specific parts (of which there is a “shortage” of) to be compliant to town regulations.”

Amazon, the e-commerce giant, has been affected by a narrowed supply chain, reporting an uncharacteristic slowdown in second-quarter sales, according to agency report.

Shortages may last for a while

Shortages of metals, plastics, and even liquor bottles are now commonplace, and these shortages have far-flung consequences, Reuters report noted.

In a case, a tent manufacturer has had no problem making tent panels, but it cannot finish its products because of a shortage of aluminum tent poles and zippers for the flaps.

Scott Price, President of UPS International, says business leaders were caught off guard by the bottlenecks in the supply chain.

In an interview with Business Insider, Price said that businesses may respond by “regionalising” their supply chains, using factories closer to main production facilities.

But in the process, report stated that businesses and consumers that support them could face months or even years of supply chain issues, according to experts.

That’s because the COVID-19 pandemic may not end any time soon.

John Rutledge, an economic adviser to the Ronald Reagan administration, also told CNBC that even a small number of infections can close a major port in any economy.

What happened last month (August) at China’s Ningbo-Zhoushan port, the third busiest in the world is an example, said Rutledge.