To all of our valued customers,
As post Covid recovery gathers pace and easing of lockdown restrictions, we are delighted to welcome back customers old and new.
Litter has been a major problem for decades, but the lockdown has led to new types and unprecedented levels in different places. Over the past nine months, littering levels have fallen dramatically in some places, such as town centres, and rocketed in others, such as parks and the countryside. We have seen new types of litter — in particular personal protective equipment (PPE), such as disposable masks and gloves. Where people go, litter follows. There has been a heightened awareness of the amount of Litter coupled with restrictions on not being able to go about our usual daily activities. The therapeutic benefits of spending time outdoors; boosting the immune system and having a positive impact on mental health, well-being and the planet. We are all facing unprecedented demands for Litterpicking equipment.
Since our last communication in April 21, we have continued to increase our manufacturing capacity. However, as more sectors and markets continue to open up, so does the surge in demand on the supply chain with worldwide material shortages.
This month our supply chain bottleneck has been hit by the global shortage in core materials: aluminium and cardboard. This will impact many business sectors using aluminium as a product and all packaging requirements with more and more online shopping. Disruption following Brexit and Covid-19, especially at ports, caused a further near-record lengthening of delivery times. Today, the UK supply chain is around 12 weeks.
Your business is very much appreciated so please do bear with us. We will continue to have longer than normal lead-times. We will keep you regularly updated but ask that you understand we cannot guarantee these because of the ever-evolving supply situation. The likelihood is that the market will remain this way for the next few quarters. With this in mind we are kindly asking customers to plan ahead if possible and provide us with forecasts for their requirements for the autumn period so we can ensure our material orders meet expectations.
We hope that you find our updates useful. If you have any questions or would like to discuss your existing order then please do not hesitate to contact our friendly sales team on 01531 635678.
Best regards,
Lara
Lara Bryant
VP Sales and Marketing
The Helping Hand Company
