COVID-19 is a global health crisis with far reaching implications. The overwhelming priority is now to contain the virus and minimise its spread, reducing the impact it will have on individuals, families and communities around the world. Our thoughts are with all those that have been affected.

 We are committed to keeping you informed with these updates, and any additional information that may impact you, your staff, and your clients. 

OUR SUPPLY CHAIN

In the initial surge of pandemic, over half of the team at Berwick were moved onto sourcing and purchasing supplies in order to ensure continuity of supply. In this time, we established a wealth of new contacts who are accredited shippers and distributors, which broadened our supply base and helped maintained continuity throughout the peaks of the pandemic. 

In 2019, we had moved the majority of our glove purchases to countries other than China due to ethical concerns over the treatment of staff in Chinese factories.  This did mean we had to absorb a cost increase to keep our pricing competitive but has enabled us to have better continuity of supply during the pandemic.

Nearing a year into the pandemic, some products are still a challenge to procure. Soap and sanitiser dispensers are an expected example of this. The main market leaders are struggling, and failing to meet existing, and ever-increasing demand. They have therefore taken the decision to limit production of new dispensers. Another unlikely casualty of the pandemic has been foam used in seating. Due to a global shortage of TDI, one of the key components in foam, production is severely challenged, with only 50% of orders being fulfilled on time.

The vagaries of the market have created unusual pressures; many products have rapidly inflated in price, only to then rapidly deflate. This has meant that we have had to try predict the market to avoid being left with premium priced stock to sell at a heavy loss. The exception to product price deflations are gloves. These continue to be very expensive, and we expect that to be true into the new year.

This is an incredibly challenging time for us all, and we would like to thank you all for your continued loyalty and support to Berwick Care.