My last three projects hit a wall because of backordered springs

I've seen a real trend lately where basic parts like springs are always out of stock. It kills my flow because I can't finish a fix without them. Just last week, a revolver sat on my bench for days waiting for a mainspring. The owner kept calling, and I felt bad saying it's not my fault. I've tried calling around, but other shops have the same problem. It seems like suppliers just don't care about our timeline. This makes my job way harder than it needs to be. I'm starting to think I need to hoard parts when I see them, lol.

3 comments

3 Comments

wright.cole19d ago

I was listening to a podcast with a supply chain analyst last month. He said a big part of the problem is that most springs are made in just a few overseas factories. When container shipping gets messed up or a factory has a covid shutdown, the whole system backs up for months because there are no other sources. They called it a single point of failure.

shane_smith19d ago

A friend in manufacturing told me about this same issue with computer chips last year. He said when one factory in Taiwan slows down, car makers everywhere get stuck waiting for parts. Honestly, it's crazy how dependent we are on just a few places for so many things. I read that some companies are trying to bring production closer to home, but it's expensive and takes time. Makes you wonder if we'll ever fix these weak spots in the system.

wyatt_green13h ago

I used to think just-in-time supply chains were a smart way to save money. But after seeing how one covid outbreak at a port can leave my shop waiting months for a simple sensor, I get it now. What @wright.cole said about single points of failure really hits home. We built this whole global system for efficiency, but it's super fragile when something goes wrong. I mean, maybe it's just me, but it feels like we traded away being tough for being cheap. Not sure how you even start to fix that without everything costing a lot more.