From the World of Supply Chain: Post-Pandemic Update

As we hit the three-year mark of COVID, many of the supply chain challenges that came with it linger, although we’ve recently seen a marked improvement in supplier transit times. No one knows this better than Parts Town’s very own Doug Buis, Vice President of Inventory Management and Analytics (or as we all him around here, OEM Overlord).

Doug recently shared his perspectives on today’s supply chain challenges and the actions his team has taken to help ease the pain for both our customers and manufacturer partners. As the supply chain continues to pose challenges among component manufacturers and the distribution network, Doug notes some specific trends, including:

• Demand for some raw materials for critical components continues to outpace production and replacement part needs.


• With fewer component manufacturers, many are being asked to do 2-4x their production capabilities.


• Although showing significant improvements, the logistics and delivery of materials are still not back on track – everything from shipping ports, truck drivers, rail alternatives and affordable air expediting is still in flux.


• Labor challenges continue to impact both front office (inventory management, procurement teams) and/or back office (pick/pack/ship operations) teams.

Parts Town Solutions

In light of these scenarios, Doug and his team have implemented several strategies to help lessen the impact for Parts Town partners and customers. Here are just a few:

• Weekly reports to manufacturers on Part Town’s needs, remaining laser-focused on securing the inventory most important to YOU!


• Collaborative conversations with both manufacturers and customers, so we know about new equipment rollouts and the associated parts needed to support them.


• Collaboration with manufacturers to deconstruct kits that may include scarce, yet critical, parts needed in the field today.

Keep an out here for more supply chain updates from around the industry.