Anyone know what is going on with the mentioned manufacturer? At lease Veritas is still being stocked but at a slower pace. How is LN nowadays?
Anyone know what is going on with the mentioned manufacturer? At lease Veritas is still being stocked but at a slower pace. How is LN nowadays?
I think with a lot of people finding they have more time on their hands more people are in the garage. Plus stimulus checks probably went to LV or LN
The supply chains are a mess world-wide. On all sorts of products. I suspect that this also plays into it.
Manufacturing is also probably limited due to safety measures.
~mike
happy in my mud hut
This.^^ I'm not sure that precious metals (such as steel, brass, alloys etc) and other supplies are all sourced here or in Canada. It makes sense that with the disruption in supply chains, pretty much every aspect is going to have a delay. Factor in the cumulative effect and you get long delays....Delays at procurement, delays at manufacturing, delays in shipping, delays in customs all add up to long delays to the user.
I mean....we're in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.
As mike stated, supply chains are screwed up, people are out sick, companies are running reduced staff or have to slow down to ensure health and safety protocols....
Lie Nielsen has been adding tools in small batches as they're produced, and now, on some, have created an option for email notification when available.
I've been watching their saws for a while, and a few weeks ago Dovetail saws were available again. So I snagged one.
This morning, I saw their rabbet block plane has Add to Cart enabled.
Things are just slow.
I do believe, that we'd have had a lot more supply buffer had everyone not moved to JIT and still warehoused raw materials, but that would have only been a buffer. We'd have exhausted it already.
I read a great article about the bicycle industry recently, regarding the supply chain issues and the very surprising things that affect it. Such as the inability of migrant workers in China to move, so there aren't people available to actually work to prep raw materials. Here's the link, it's worth a read.
https://www.bicycleretailer.com/opin...l#.YBGUQS2ZNR0
~mike
happy in my mud hut
Their statement on their website, presumably from Thomas LN, says that they have cut back on production staffing for safety and that Maine has been hit hard by COVID-19. He says their production strategy has been to produce the tools on their Core Tools list, and will add Core2 tools when they can.
I am a big consumer of LN tools and visit their website often. Even before the pandemic, it seemed like LN was scaling back. I think PM-V11 steel has hurt them. I still think LN tools are the best overall but they are not competing effectively on the high end super steels or the easy to sharpen O1.
I spoke with the LN folks last week asking about availability of their vices. As Tom stated, they are making runs as they can. There was no schedule for the vices. They are very much, "in business" but due to distancing issues, plant lay-out and safety issues for staff are driving production output. As they wouldn't sell me a vise I ended up buying the Boggs Concave spokeshave. It is a terrific tool. I guess I showed them
As others have mentioned, there are some big restrictions on producing just about anything right now. I’m just grateful that LV and LN seem to be weathering the storm! I’ve still managed to spend plenty at LV despite my unfulfilled wish list.
Hi -
These are difficult times to be a manufacturer in our industry. There are supply and labor disruptions at virtually every point in the supply chain - material shortages, shut downs, backlogs, transportation delays, container shortages - you name it.
In a way - we are fortunate that demand has been very strong for our product. Those with discretionary spending have diverted a lot of it into home-centric purchasing, or leisure pursuits that can be done on one's own.
We are currently carrying a 4-6 month order book, but are finding it very difficult to scale for the demand spike. Even if we could get the material we need, we are still having a hard time hiring. With 26 open positions in our manufacturing operation, we cannot just add extra shifts. Then too - one can't restructure a business for a spike - we all have to expand in a sustainable manner - as none of us knows what business will look like once the pandemic is in check. The spending pendulumn could swing far in the other direction....
This is liable to go on for about another 8-12 months. Like a traffic slow-down that persists after an accident has been cleared, the pandemic induced supply chain shockwaves will continue to have effects long after we're all back to "normal".
As for COVID - we have been focused on protecting our staff first. With over 1000 permanent and part time staff, we have had zero cases of transmission at work, and only 6 staff contract COVID externally (most from family members). There's certainly an efficiency cost to this level of protection - but one we're willing to pay.
I'm sure Tom feels the same way, and has has all of the same challenges we do - if not more...
Cheers -
Rob
Thanks Rob. I had such a wonderful conversation today with Liz and can only say, on a personal note, that your commitment to 1st) safety of the LN Team and 2nd) never compromising on quality, only strengthens my long-term desire to use your products. Sure... waiting for something that I wanted yesterday is frustrating but that’s not your problem, it’s mine. The pendulum will always be moving in one direction or another. Seems to me that LN is still ahead of the curve by keeping your doors open, employing local workers, and producing a product that has a global demand. The rest is just going to take time.
It's times like these you can't quit kicking yourself for subcontracting stuff you probably should have kept in-house. It all works, until it doesn't.