Supply Chain Issues in the Ski Industry

[James]

And then there's this... I spoke with my former business partner about the situation and she is telling me its very complicated but there also seems to be quite a bit of profiteering going on and they are enjoying the delays...huge profit add-ons are taking place for "expedited" shipments. take a look at some of the earnings of the steamship lines......

Uh oh…Fast Track shipping on the endless powder day!

 

[Ron]

its not just the Steamship lines, its the brokers and NVOCC's too.

 

[James]

Perhaps another wrinkle-

Potential impact of China’s power crisis on the supply chain industry​

October 29, 2021
————-

…As of today, 20 out of 31 provinces in China are subject to restrictions to various degrees, with Maersk saying that the electricity shortages are caused by a combination of factors, hereunder high coal prices, unpredictable weather patterns and challenges of meeting energy and emissions goals.

The Danish shipping company noted that this situation may cause increased cost, lower productivity levels and delays in delivery…
—————-

Potential impact of China's power crisis on the supply chain industry - Container News

The largest container carrier in the world, Maersk Line has warned about the potential impact of the electricity challenges in China on the shipping s

container-news.com

 

[AmyPJ]

@AmyPJ you could be totally right but its not as simple as it may seem. the vast majority of containers coming into those ports are from China so with the record high number of shipments (booming economy with pent up demand), plus a huge issue with empty containers needing to get back to China and a huge lack of labor alone present a huge logistical problem. No doubt new software platforms and more efficient labor practices would help the solution could be a multi-pronged approach with a new port or an expansion as well.

And then there's this... I spoke with my former business partner about the situation and she is telling me its very complicated but there also seems to be quite a bit of profiteering going on and they are enjoying the delays...huge profit add-ons are taking place for "expedited" shipments. take a look at some of the earnings of the steamship lines......

Largest shipping lines post record profit jump in Q1 2021

The combined operating profit in the first qurter of 2021 of all reporting carriers was a staggering $16.19 billion, a new report shows.

www.offshore-energy.biz

Container lines set to make record profits worth US$150 billion in 2021 - Container News

Drewry, an independent maritime research consultancy has recently revised its projections of profits by container lines to US$150 billion for 2021.

container-news.com

Why am I not surprised? I swear, the deeper one dives into the crap, the crappier it gets.

 

[James]

NVOCC's too.

Had to look that one up.

See, I suspect this all goes back to EVOO shipping from Italy.

 

[Ron]

non-vessel operating common carrier.

https://www.ncbfaa.org/Scripts/4Dis...Action=CMS_Document&DocID=21584&MenuKey=about

 

[James]

I spoke with my former business partner about the situation and she is telling me its very complicated but there also seems to be quite a bit of profiteering going on and they are enjoying the delays...huge profit add-ons are taking place for "expedited" shipments. take a look at some of the earnings of the steamship lines......

Sounds to me it’s like a Thomas’s English muffin. The nooks and crannies hold a lot of butter.
Now they’re fork splitting them, despite the waste, so they hold even more butter. You just have to be careful to not apply too much heat to the system or a good percentage of the nooks and crannies dries up.
But, rest assured even if everything gets streamlined, there will be ways to slather on toppings, then blame someone else.

 

[Wilhelmson]

On Saturday there were a few fis race helmets on sale online. I posted a question about the fis sticker. By yesterday afternoon only full price helmets were available. This morning I had to suck it up and buy on amazon because other online shops have odd colors and sizes for anything under $300.

At least with Amazon I can return it with free shipping. So we can shop locally and know that around $250 is our range since that's what I already spent.

We are good with jr gs skis for now at least. Boots fit for now.

 

[Dwight]

Seems like a good take from a truck driver.

 

[Andy Mink]

Seems like a good take from a truck driver.

Good read. Bad news.

 

[Henry]

That truck driver article matches what I've read elsewhere. He should have added that more double stack container rail cars are needed--if there is more capacity on the rail system for more trains. The container terminals can hire more clerks to keep the gates open more hours, and perhaps hire more crane operators, but they can't call the union hall to get more of the wheeled gantry cranes or top-lift trucks (like giant fork-lifts that lift a contain from the top) to move the containers to truck chassis; what they've got is all there is. I just read about a company that knows their imported cargo is on the Long Beach container terminal, but the terminal has no space to remove the containers on top of it to get to that one.

We need to recall the real reason for the glut in the supply chain---during the pandemic shut down consumers stopped spending on services and now are spending more on stuff. The supply meets normal levels with the exception of things like a semiconductor plant fire, Chinese factories previously locked down due to Covid, the Chinese power crunch (they're having a spat with Australia and won't buy their coal for the power plants), and other things that have nearly returned to normal by now. Demand has skyrocketed. Economist Paul Krugman has postulated that what is needed to normalize the supply chain is a national vaccine mandate so people will feel safe spending on services--restaurants, theaters, vacations, etc.--and return to buying a normal level of stuff. Ain't gonn'a happen, and we'll have to wait until everything levels out by itself.

Somebody several pages back made a comment about the possibility of Head e-Whatever skis in short supply due to the semiconductor chips inside. That might be the case--I've look at a couple of big on line stores, and their supply of these skis is very slim.

If you want something, and find it, buy it now, not later. That goes for Christmas gifts, your ski gear lusts, all of it.

 

[newboots]

Seems like a good take from a truck driver.

Wow!

and

Yikes!

 

[AmyPJ]

Good read. Bad news.

Agreed. I keep thinking how we all should be grateful for what we have. The problem is, this impacts not just "fun goods" so to speak, but every aspect of everything we buy, medical equipment, safety equipment, everyday essentials, you name it.

I can't believe this bumpy ride just keeps on going. Craziest of times we are living through right now.

 

[cantunamunch]

Agreed. I keep thinking how we all should be grateful for what we have.

Not just 'should be grateful' but "keep using". Hence the bike video above.

The problem is, this impacts not just "fun goods" so to speak, but every aspect of everything we buy, medical equipment, safety equipment, everyday essentials, you name it.

Kinda makes you wonder what, exactly is growing in the economy. And when 'growing' is actually just "bubble foam".

 

[James]

Cars are something like 3% of the global economy. If you can’t finish cars because of chips or whatever, it has far reaching effects. Opel has shut one plant in Germany till next year.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/02/...bal-economy.html?referringSource=articleShare

 

[fatbob]

Agreed. I keep thinking how we all should be grateful for what we have. The problem is, this impacts not just "fun goods" so to speak, but every aspect of everything we buy, medical equipment, safety equipment, everyday essentials, you name it.

I can't believe this bumpy ride just keeps on going. Craziest of times we are living through right now.

This. I don't think missing out on discretionary leisure equipment is the real issue. It's the folk who need spares for their mobility scooter/chair or parts for a car breakdown or indeed other medical equipment that have my sympathy.

Of course the global economy "needs" the people who want/need the bright, shiny and frivolous so I thank them for their persistence too.

 

[cantunamunch]

This. I don't think missing out on discretionary leisure equipment is the real issue. It's the folk who need spares for their mobility scooter/chair or parts for a car breakdown or indeed other medical equipment that have my sympathy.

Or, say, medications.

 

[Aquila]

It's the folk who need spares for their mobility scooter/chair or parts for a car breakdown or indeed other medical equipment that have my sympathy.

Oh, yeah. Actually had this happen to me at the start of this years ski season. Got rear ended pretty damn hard, luckily my car was fixable but a bunch of panels/hatch door/tow bar/sensors had to be replaced, and it wasn't drivable until it was fixed. I have a SUPER common car - in "normal times" it wouldn't have been a big deal to get those parts - but still had to wait two months for parts to arrive from overseas. The repair place apologised and said covid had just wreaked havoc on all their supply chains.

As a bonus, they were also short on courtesy cars (because they had a backlog of customers with broken cars, waiting on parts from overseas...) so I just had to live a car-less existence for 3-4 weeks until a courtesy car became available. Good times!

 

[Tony Storaro]

I don't want to be a jerk, but I was wondering. It seems like the only thing that will keep the skis from walking is the tether to the ski rack. If a thief takes the skis home, will they be able to get the lock off without wrecking the skis? It does look pretty daunting.

If he (or she) removes the plastic ends of the brakes then probably yes. But this is not a solution against determined and properly equipped ski thieves. This looks like a deterrent against somebody just casually walking off with your ski.
As with the bike/motorbike locks there is no such thing as 100% theft proof solution, if one really REALLY wants to steal your ski/bike/motorbike he/she will do it.

 

[James]

As with the bike/motorbike locks there is no such thing as 100% theft proof solution,

I have a friend who has had a motorcycle stolen 3 times. A Beemer and two Ducati’s. It’s likely something of an inside job with his buildings security service.