Covid shortages & logistical challenges

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concordnz

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#280481 17-Dec-2020 11:36

There doesn't seem to be a topic specificlly focused towards this topic.

Covid is continuing to create major logistical challenges.
And this will continue for at least another 18 months - bring in price rises of goods, because of steep increases in freight costs & delays. & ongoing shortages of goods.

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#2623181 17-Dec-2020 11:41

I've been waiting for a new TV for 3 months. Evidently it's supposed to clear port next week, which means I won't get it until January sometime, but now I'm even more nervous about timings given all the Auckland port issues.

concordnz

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#2623182 17-Dec-2020 11:42

The latest products I have become aware of which are impacted - are Coffee & paper!
These are two 'essential suppliers' for geeks and life could get rough if some of you are deprived of your coffee fixes.

With out going crazy, - you might want to check your stocks of coffee & make sure you have enough.

You are likely to see this particular shortage start to impact over the next 3 months.

I understand a big part of the current problem is ' NZ port delays' - with the huge number of Containers choking our ports & causing weeks/month delays from time ship arrives until container arrives at distributor.
(a heap of stuff which would normally be air freight - is now forced to come by Boat)

GV27

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#2623231 17-Dec-2020 12:07

I'm seeing a lot of items on websites with messages added to product pages saying "New Stock Due in November".

So not only out of stock in the lead-up to Xmas, but presumably have been for some time already.

Almost no major discounting on TVs and very low supplies of things like iPhones nationwide.

frankv

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#2623233 17-Dec-2020 12:09

concordnz: (a heap of stuff which would normally be air freight - is now forced to come by Boat)

I saw some reports on TV that implied that air freight wasn't economically viable because it was subsidised by passengers. I'm not sure I believe that in the cut-throat passenger ticket market, there's extra cost added to a ticket. I suspect they mean that without passengers filling the upper deck, it's not economic to fly the aircraft, even if the hold is full.

Are there not enough air freight aircraft? Can existing passenger aircraft not be reconfigured for freight, and when pax numbers pick up, changed back?

neb

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#2623236 17-Dec-2020 12:22

Seems a bit of a FWP thing to me. I can easily do without a new gewgaw if it means I get to avoid choking to death on my own mucus-filled lungs. Meh, so I have to wait a bit longer for something.

concordnz

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#2623271 17-Dec-2020 13:27

frankv:
concordnz: (a heap of stuff which would normally be air freight - is now forced to come by Boat)

I saw some reports on TV that implied that air freight wasn't economically viable because it was subsidised by passengers. I'm not sure I believe that in the cut-throat passenger ticket market, there's extra cost added to a ticket. I suspect they mean that without passengers filling the upper deck, it's not economic to fly the aircraft, even if the hold is full.

Are there not enough air freight aircraft? Can existing passenger aircraft not be reconfigured for freight, and when pax numbers pick up, changed back?

Lack of freight planes is a big problem.
I understand to reconfigure a pax plane to freight, is very expensive (new certifications etc). And of course the time to do this exercise (probably takes 18mo. )
.... At which point it will no longer be needed as passenger flights will have returned - Post-Covid
(& payback of conversion is probably 5-10 years at a guess)

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concordnz

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#2623273 17-Dec-2020 13:30

I understand there is now also a worldwide shortage of Shipping Containers. (because so many are tied up at ports around the world)

So even if you have goods ready to ship - you have to wait weeks before you can get a empty container to put the goods in - leading to even more shipping delays & costs....

gehenna

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#2623281 17-Dec-2020 13:54

neb: Seems a bit of a FWP thing to me. I can easily do without a new gewgaw if it means I get to avoid choking to death on my own mucus-filled lungs. Meh, so I have to wait a bit longer for something.

Your judgement over the priorities of other people isn't really the topic of conversation.

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#2623286 17-Dec-2020 14:17

RNZ interview with My Therese Blank, Head of Market at Maersk Oceania and local shipping broker Dave Anderson, of Coastal Shipping.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2018774118/port-congestion-the-cost-to-business

neb

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#2623287 17-Dec-2020 14:17

gehenna: Your judgement over the priorities of other people isn't really the topic of conversation.

Did I mention other people anywhere in my post?

frankv

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#2623290 17-Dec-2020 14:32

concordnz: I understand there is now also a worldwide shortage of Shipping Containers. (because so many are tied up at ports around the world)

I recall that way back in March there was also a shortage of containers, due to so many being located inside China where, due to lockdowns, no-one could unload or load them.

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#2623363 17-Dec-2020 16:06

FWIW, which isn't much, I'm back to (knock on wood) fairly consistently 7-10 days EMS shipping out of Guangzhou, EUB (the cheaper slower small parcel EMS) about 14-17 days. I haven't seen any of my parcels get routed through Shanghai for a couple months now which is nice because that was a massive bottle neck.

Of course slow-boat mail from Aliexpress is still very much slow boat, I do wonder if is literally slow boat now for that aliexpress stuff which used to be consolidated air freight / direct entry.

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#2623388 17-Dec-2020 17:22

frankv:

concordnz: (a heap of stuff which would normally be air freight - is now forced to come by Boat)

I saw some reports on TV that implied that air freight wasn't economically viable because it was subsidised by passengers. I'm not sure I believe that in the cut-throat passenger ticket market, there's extra cost added to a ticket. I suspect they mean that without passengers filling the upper deck, it's not economic to fly the aircraft, even if the hold is full.

Are there not enough air freight aircraft? Can existing passenger aircraft not be reconfigured for freight, and when pax numbers pick up, changed back?

Air freight isn't subsidized by passengers, if anything it's the other way. The reality of making flying an aircraft is a mix of passengers and freight make it economic. The NZ government is spending hundreds of millions subsidizing airfreight to New Zealand as otherwise there'd be even less airfreight capacity to NZ.

Emirates are flying a lot of passenger 777s as straight freighters at the moment, just to keep them flying.

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#2623556 18-Dec-2020 07:28

There seem to be quite a few shortages starting to hit IT distributors in NZ again.

elbrownos

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#2623629 18-Dec-2020 08:54

I recently had difficulty buying a lawn mower.

Three shops (Mitre10, Placemakers & Stihl Shop) sold me nonexistent lawnmowers, took my money, then some days later admitted they had no stock and no ETA for new stock.

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