Firstly, there’s no surprise that the rising cost of steel is impacting the price of pallet racking, shelving, mezzanines, conveyors, and most items we sell and install.
The second impact factor is the availability of steel. As larger steel brokers buy up reserves, it’s forcing smaller manufacturers to pay more or wait longer for the supply to become available. In the short term, your project may cost more, which comes down to steel fluctuations. Of course, we don’t want this for our customers. However, lead time is the other more significant impact that we’re seeing. As many companies across the country are placing orders to lock in costs, the lead time from the manufacturers is getting stretched more and more. These manufacturers are getting flooded with orders maximising their capacity. In turn, lead times that may have been around six weeks now are close to twelve.
Although the pandemic is easing, the steel industry remains subject to various risks that could affect demand, prices and margins, including those related to the pandemic, such as a broader virus spread of the Indian Variant, the slowing down of vaccinations or any other lockdowns.
The inevitable result of this climate is that customers need to make decisions quickly to minimise the impact of rising steel costs, freight implications and longer lead times, jeopardising the project carrying beyond the deadline goals.
The best way to get ahead of the inevitable increases in steel prices is to book your projects sooner rather than later, giving you peace of mind that your projects will be completed on time and within budget.
It is impossible to predict the long-term effects of steel prices. We suggest putting the wheels in motion for any storage projects you’ve wanted to get done now. IKON can help you navigate these variables affecting your project to assist you in making better project planning decisions.
01773 718 719
sales@ikonltd.co.uk