Don’t Let Today’s Supply Chain Challenges Hold You Hostage

By JOE CHURCHILL Reinders, Inc.

Last January, we began feeling the pinch associated with increased product costs and availability on everything from copy paper and office furniture to fleet vehicles and fertilizer. Initially, it created significant angst and frustration as we tried to sustain a normal work environment. We were told these “novel” supply chain issues would begin working themselves out by the end of the Second Quarter. Here we are almost a year later and product availability continues to affect our businesses and prices continue to skyrocket. In some cases, products just aren’t available. A 6 to 12-month wait on big-ticket items has become the norm. What was perceived as a real dilemma less than a year ago has now become commonplace. We just shrug our shoulders and accept it. But now, as if matters weren’t bad enough, labor shortages have made things even worse. Whether you’re trying to make a reservation at a favorite restaurant or attempting to keep your clients happy as you ask your skeletal staff to do more with less, keeping your business fully staffed has perhaps eclipsed any challenges around supply chain issues.

And what about the supply chain outlook? Pretty much more of the same forecasted well into 2022. As the U.S. economy rebounds from almost two years of pandemic shutdown, manufacturers, distribution companies and logistic providers are having a difficult time keeping up. There’s still a lot of cargo ships filled with containers bobbing of the California coast waiting for their turn to get unloaded. The goods have arrived and consumers are poised to buy as we approach the holiday season.

So if neither supply nor demand is an issue, where’s the problem? The fly in the ointment is in the logistics. Dockworker shortages and an anemic transportation system hobbled by not enough truck drivers and an inefficient rail system unable to get the product from seaports to distributors and retailers in a timely fashion are the weak links in the supply chain.

Is this the new normal?

How long will this continue? As a friend of mine says, “Some days chicken salad. Some days chicken doo-doo” [she actually used a more colorful descriptor here]. So, what then do we do-do? There are ways you can manage challenges associated with supply chain issues. Some of these suggestions may fall into the common sense category but bear with me. · Get your mind right. Focus on managing those things in which you have control. Some things simply are not, like what you pay for something or how quickly you receive a product or service you purchased. And the big one- you can’t control other people. They will show up as their authentic self. People are judged by their actions, not by what they tell you. Connect with someone you feel you can trust rather than someone who is elusive and not forthcoming. Work with those who under-promise and over-deliver rather than the other way around. · Look for alternative ways of doing things. We are all creatures of habit. Now is not the time to get stuck in a comfortable routine. That won’t serve you well during bizarre times like these. Look for creative ways of doing things or alternative products that are easier, quicker to get and cheaper to use. And remember, sometimes products that cost more will save you money somewhere else. Don’t get stuck on price. Taking these steps may not be your first choice, but they may bridge the gap as you wait for relief. · Look for ways to save labor. Consider outsourcing some services if possible. You may discover a new business partner in doing so.

Plan ahead!

Don’t wait until the last minute to purchase consumables and other products you need to run your business.

We have all been lulled into “just-in-time” thinking. We purchase something on Monday and expect to have it on Wednesday. That has worked in the past and hopefully, we’ll get back to that.

But right now, you better project ahead. (Continued on Page 11)

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Look for ways to save labor. Consider outsourcing some services if possible. You may discover a new business partner in doing so.

Plan ahead!

Don’t wait until the last minute to purchase consumables and other products you need to run your business.

We have all been lulled into “just-in-time” thinking. We purchase something on Monday and expect to have it on Wednesday. That has worked in the past and hopefully, we’ll get back to that.

But right now, you better project ahead.

Look at what you need in 8 to 10 weeks and plan some of those purchases now.

For those of us in the Green Industry, start taking Integrated Pest Management (IPM) more seriously. Embrace cultural practices and reduce inputs when doing so will not compromise results or expectations. Focus your efforts on sustainability. Look at water management, using less fertilizer and fewer pesticides, carefully select plant material and turfgrass species that need less of everything. Go green by converting combustible engine machinery to battery-powered where it makes sense. If you haven’t already, go paperless.

Make a few concessions. Temporarily lower some expectations and increase thresholds around what is acceptable. Downplay perfection and embrace “that’s good enough this time.” Practice patience and empathy. Your personal and business health will thank you. And your customers & clients will understand. There’s a silver lining to this ugly pandemic and the supply chain quandary it has created. It has forced us to do things differently. It has grudgingly made us

“There is no better change the way we operate our businesses. These are time than now changes we would have never thought about unlessto rethink the way we hadn’t been backed into a you run your business corner. We have discovered that some of these new ways or do your job. have now become the right way. The smart way.

This is a ‘When life There is no better time than now to gives you lemons, rethink the way you run make lemonade’ your business or do your job. This is a “When life moment.” gives you lemons, make lemonade” moment. - Joe Churchill Embrace it. Collaborate with your peers, business partners and suppliers to find ways to do things differently. Not just in the moment, but for years to come. The holidays are approaching, Amazon is ready. Are you? (Editor’s Note: Joe Churchill has been involved in the Minnesota turfgrass industry since the 1980s and has served on the Boards of MGCSA, MPSTMA and MTGF throughout many of those years. Joe is a representative of Reinders, Inc.)

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