While many of you have enjoyed a summer getaway to beat the heat and escape your daily grind, China manufacturing continues to churn away. Factories continue to churn out orders so long as there is business to do and money to be made.
However recently some of you may have noticed slower response times from suppliers and even delays to your deliveries. No it’s not the general malaise of summer but actually there are several important events happening that can affect your sourcing and deliveries.
The first two events have to do with the weather. First in South China, a major typhoon just hit and it was the strongest storm in over 30 years according to Xinhua News. Flights have been cancelled, schools closed, and factories shut down. And flooding is expected for up to 3 days. In this case, many factories have closed due to safety precautions and production and service has been affected as a result.
Though it’s very likely that factories will be back online as soon as the typhoon passes, if you are expecting any important orders to be confirmed or deliveries to be made, beware delays! Affected areas include Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Guangzhou.
Moreover this storm is expected to move north and may affect coastal areas later this week. Stay tuned!
The other event is the unusual summer heat that has hit the eastern coast of China. Recently there were several days of sustained heat over 40 C (104F) coupled with high humidity. This resulted in a heat index of over 55C or 131F! Affected areas include Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu regions. Some factories in these areas have taken days off because of the heat risks to workers. So expect delays this week as well.
Takeaway: if your suppliers have been slow to respond this week, no, they’re not away on vacation but the weather could be the culprit! But do communicate with them to monitor your production as well as to check if they are safe!
However there is a larger economic event looming on the horizon that can have a broader impact on suppliers in and around Hangzhou. More to come about that soon.
Have you encountered any delays from your suppliers due to weather? Let me know!
