Supply Chain Issues Hits the Garage Door Repair Industry

 The current supply chain crisis is affecting industries around the world including the garage doors industry. The distribution system that begins with the manufacturers is distributed to wholesalers and then retailers or in some cases directly to retailers. This chain also relies on proper transportation to work.

However, for garage door suppliers and garage door repair service providers, that chain has been disrupted due to several factors. The result is that garage door companies no longer have the same access to what they need. This means that popular choices such as steel garage doors, aluminum, carriage house, wood garage doors, and garage door parts such as springs, torsion springs, and rollers may not be in the same amount of supply.

Restricted access to complete garage doors and replacement parts would cause shortages and prices to spike as a result. Whether for garage door repair, maintenance, or instillation; home, company, and retail owners are seeing the effects of the current shortage.

Continued Supply Chain Disruption

The supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link. That weak link is the coronavirus which essentially shut down the world economy for well over a year. It’s effects are still being felt with people out of work and industries slow to get the people needed to meet demand. In the US, a shortage of truck drivers is the main culprit to the supply chain issues.

The lack of truck drivers also includes factory workers and those who crew trains which only makes it more difficult to move the goods. While the shipping and ports are mostly working, there are not enough people to move the items around the country.

Unfortunately, that weak link will take many months if not longer to correct. And even when corrected, it will take more time for the supply chain to straighten itself out. Other issues include the following:

• Basic Materials: The primary effect will be that of the material used to create new garage doors and replacement parts. The supply chain issues have made it more difficult for manufacturers to find the materials needed to make garage doors. This includes steel, wood, glass and aluminum.
• Price Hikes: Inflation is caused by too much money chasing too few goods. With a scarcity of materials needed to construct garage doors, the prices have risen which makes them more difficult to purchase. And when the manufacturer does pay higher prices, that is passed on to the wholesaler, then the retailer, then the consumer.

Long Term Issues

Although the coronavirus pandemic is passing, there are other issues that are affecting the supply chain. With more countries joining the initiative against climate change, that means a restriction in activities which create more CO2 in the atmosphere. That action, while noble, has the side effect of making fuel prices go higher and puts curbs on manufacturing.

This also affects manufacturing, especially in aluminum production which has impacted garage door suppliers and those who want aluminum garage doors for their home or business. And new variants of the coronavirus which will make their appearance in the foreseeable future and things are only going to get even more challenging for the worldwide supply chain.

Fewer Garage Doors

The first industry to be affected by the shortage of new garage doors will be home construction. With higher prices combined with a shortage of supply, garage door installers will be hard pressed to keep up with the demands of new home construction.

Of course, many of the materials used for the construction of home are also going upwards as well. this means that selling new homes will become more expensive as it becomes out of reach for many potential home buyers.

In addition, garage door repair companies will also be harder pressed to find the parts that they need which will only drive prices skyward as well. In essence, everything is getting more expensive and less available.

Possible Solutions

There are a few actions that governments around the world and in the US could take immediately that might alleviate some of the supply chain issues. In the US, a revocation of Section 232 Tariff on steel and aluminum would lower the cost of importing these materials and would most likely increase their supply. The tariff had served its purpose, but now is an impingement on the importation of new materials.

Of course, such action would need to be combined with new truck drivers that can start moving supplies around the US. Unfortunately, that will take much longer to accomplish. And give the systemic issues that have been plaguing the supply chain industry for decades, that will need to be corrected as well.

For garage door suppliers, the challenges of the supply chain issues will only get worse before they get better. And until that day comes, it will become more difficult to install, maintain, and repair garage doors. Plus, the availability of certain materials being compromised means fewer options for steel garage doors, wood garage doors, and especially aluminum garage doors. The bottom line is, for garage door installers, garage door repair, and retail garage door companies, it will be some time before things get back to normal.