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Exterior of Ultraflex's Texas Facility

Ultraflex Expands United States Fulfillment

Ultraflex Expands United States Fulfillment 840 508 Ultraflex Marketing Team

Riverview, FL – Ultraflex Systems, Inc., the worldwide leader in flexible, semi-rigid and rigid substrates, is proud to announce the expansion of two of its facilities: Garland, Texas and Randolph, New Jersey.

Each location’s expansion combined will add an additional 100,000 square footage to a total of 500,000 square footage.

The existing strategic locations in New Jersey, California, Florida, Texas, and Toronto will continue to deliver immediate service to area consumers and provide superior customer service as orders are placed through the Ultraflex world headquarters in Riverview, Florida.

Pressure Is Mounting Across The Freight Industry. Here’s What Customers Can Do To Avoid The Squeeze

Pressure Is Mounting Across The Freight Industry. Here’s What Customers Can Do To Avoid The Squeeze 1280 720 Kylie

The pandemic hit human health hard, but it also created insurmountable challenges for many operations that must get products to customers. Congestion at ports and shortages of dock workers, cargo containers, and ships have slammed the industry like we’ve never seen before.

This photograph shows the backlog of ships just waiting to dock at one port.

Credit: https://weather.com/health/coronavirus/video/coronavirus-causes-massive-backup-of-container-ships-off-california-coast

It’s a scene we see over and again at ports in Asia and other places. Just recently, a COVID-19 outbreak in southern China prompted authorities to shut down businesses, causing massive shipping delays for Chinese ports. For example, at the Yantian International Container Terminal in Shenzhen, ships used to get a space to dock within half a day. Now, it’s taking up to 16 days.  

What does this mean for Ultraflex customers?

We manufacture many of our digitally printable textiles, rigid and flexible substrates outside the U.S. So, when trouble hits the freight industry, it affects our supply chain too.

For example, the lag in shipping times could impact delivery of some materials. We are actively working to prevent disruptions to our supply chain so that you have access to the quality, dependable materials you need. We continue to maintain the world’s most comprehensive inventory across our product lines.

Here are other factors we are monitoring closely across the industry:

  • The cost to ship goods has increased dramatically. In mid-June 2021, freight rates from Asia to the East Coast of the U.S. were 250% higher compared to the same week in June 2020, and to the West Coast, 245% higher.
  • The cost to ship from Europe to North America jumped by 20% in one week alone in June.
  • Container rates are sky-high. The cost to ship a standard-sized container of goods typically comes in at $3,000. Some rates are now over $20,000. During peak season, July through September, rates could reach $30,000.

What can you do?

The back-to-school season and holidays may seem months away, but big box stores and online retailers will start placing seasonal orders in the weeks ahead. Many already have. The industry is still trying to catch up from the backlog of orders created by rising consumer demands during the pandemic. As new orders pile on top of those, the freight squeeze will get even tighter.

We’re advising customers to place orders earlier than usual to help avoid delivery delays and potentially higher costs in the weeks ahead. In addition, we can help you find alternative solutions if a material is delayed or out of stock.

What can you expect from us?

One of Ultraflex’s core values is to be a customer-first company. Our team members are fiercely committed to helping you solve problems so you can continue to deliver vivid graphics that sell products and tell brilliant stories.

We don’t know how long we will be navigating this situation. What we do know is that integrity is the backbone of our business. Our commitment is to keep you informed, to treat all customers with the highest level of respect and fairness, and to be a valued partner that goes above and beyond to help you grow your business.

Thank you for your support and partnership during these unprecedented times. For more information, please email us.

shipping delays

How to Plan Ahead for Shipping Delays

How to Plan Ahead for Shipping Delays 640 436 Kylie

Heading to Plan Ahead for Shipping Delays

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to test people and industries in ways we never imagined. Not only has it resulted in a worldwide health crisis, but it also has created bottlenecks and shipping delays for businesses trying to keep up with customer demands for imported products. Dock worker shortages, port congestion, cargo container shortages, lack of vessel space causing ship dates and arrival dates to push out. In addition, shipping costs are becoming more expensive. In the past year, the cost to ship goods has nearly tripled, according to key indexes and continue to rise. All these factors affect our industry too. Ultraflex is a leading supplier of digitally printable textiles and flexible and rigid substrates, and our customers depend on us.

Plan Ahead

Ultraflex is looking ahead to book our container shipments a minimum of 4 weeks in advance to help secure equipment and space. To assist with this, analyze your own planning and place orders ahead of time to compensate for any container delays.

 

Use Alternate Routes

We are looking at creative ways to transport inventory, such as transferring a shipment from one mode of transportation to another and alternative ports. We are also looking at availability of 40′ versus 20′ containers to minimize delays.

 

Flexible Arrival Times

Be more flexible on the receiving schedule as US dray capacity is extremely tight. With port congestion at an all time high, getting containers offloaded and delivered has become more difficult.

 

Avoid Air Freight

Air cargo rates out of Asia have risen for 4 straight weeks, surging through Chinese New Year with no sign of a slow down in demand that is traditionally seen. This is exuberated by delays at hubs because of rising volumes and staffing uses.

 

For more information or how we can help – contact an ultraflex representative

supply chain bottlenecks

Three Ways We’re Battling Supply Chain Bottlenecks Caused by the Pandemic

Three Ways We’re Battling Supply Chain Bottlenecks Caused by the Pandemic 2560 1920 Kylie

 The COVID-19 pandemic continues to test people and industries in ways we never imagined. Not only has it resulted in a worldwide health crisis, but it also has created supply chain bottlenecks for businesses trying to keep up with customer demands for imported products. Dock worker shortages, port congestion, cargo container shortages, lack of vessel space causing ship dates and arrival dates to push out, and major holidays, like the Chinese New Year, are jeopardizing the timely delivery of food, clothing, medicine, and more.

In addition, shipping costs are becoming more expensive, as consumers spend less money on restaurants and entertainment and spend more money on online goods. In the past year, the cost to ship goods has nearly tripled, according to key indexes.

All these factors affect our industry too. Ultraflex is a leading supplier of digitally printable textiles and flexible and rigid substrates, and our customers depend on us.

How is Ultraflex responding to the transportation obstacles facing the industry? Below are three ways we’re taking action to help customers get the products they need to fuel their businesses.

#1: We Are Finding Alternative Ways to Transport Goods

We’re logistics professionals. For more than 30 years, we’ve successfully managed global inventory logistics, and we continue to do so in these challenging times.

Based on our expertise and extensive contacts, we’re working with multiple agents to find space on vessels for our inventory. We’re also looking at creative ways to transport inventory, such as transferring a shipment from one mode of transportation to another, known as transloading or cross-docking.

There are obstacles to overcome, but we’re thinking creatively and taking steps to minimize delays as much as possible.

#2: We Continue to Maintain a Large Inventory

With over 500,000 square feet of global stock holding space, we offer the world’s most comprehensive inventory across product lines. We know which materials are in highest demand and attempt to keep those on hand at our distribution centers to meet your needs.

For example, our SuperPrint Plus is a top-seller, and we keep a minimum of 6 months inventory on hand.

 #3: We Help Customers Find Creative Solutions

Our inventory is vast, and so is the knowledge we bring to the market. When your business needs materials that are out of stock or delayed, we work with you to find alternative solutions to temporarily fulfill your needs.

For example, we carry four different 13-ounce banners: Ultima Pro, JetFlex/Normandy Pro, SuperPrint & ProFlex. The diverse inventory allows us to have various versions of the material in an easy replacement solution.

We have faced and overcome challenges many times. Our commitment is to constantly monitor the situation, do everything we can to alleviate delays, and to always offer diverse and consistently high-quality solutions that help you be successful.

When Will Things Get Back to ‘Normal’?

 That’s the million-dollar question. Transportation experts predict the flow of supply will improve in the next few months.

In the meantime, the Ultraflex team is here to answer any questions you have about supply issues. We’re here to help you identify solutions that will grow your business. For more information, email us.