Supply Chain Delays

 

At Abide Interiors we strive to provide our customers and clients with high quality furniture pieces, as soon as practically possible from order date. As much as we strive to dispatch an order to meet our customers time of delivery expectations, unfortunately, at times, there are circumstances beyond our control that prevent this from happening.

 

If the ordered items are “sold out” or a “custom order”, The Abide Interiors sales team will provide the customer with an approximate lead time to receive their order. The time for Abide Interiors to dispatch the customer’s order can vary and is dependent on several variables. As stated in our terms and conditions, The quoted lead time is an approximate only and changes are outside of our control.

 

Here’s some information on why our quoted lead times can change:

• Manufacturing (raw materials suppliers): Abide Interiors manufactures the majority of furniture in Southeast Asia with a number of different manufacturers. These manufacturers use a range of raw material suppliers to create their completed furniture including timber, paint, packaging boxes, fabric, foam & fastening (bolts, screws, nails, handles, latches & catches). Sometimes the raw materials suppliers may not be able to supply their goods to the manufacturer in a timely manner to complete your order, our order, or other customers’ orders. This can result in the delay of a container being shipped on its due date and the container literally ‘missing the boat’.

Example: The majority of Abide Interiors furniture goods are manufactured from solid timber. Solid timber maintains a high amount of moisture content after it is harvested. The moisture content to manufacture furniture must be between 11 – 13%. The process to achieve the right moisture content is time consuming and can be challenging to achieve, especially during the wet season which makes drying the timber to its correct moisture level difficult.

• Manufacturing (Staffing shortages): Staff shortages in manufacturing can significantly impact production timelines and lead to delays. Staff shortages can been caused by sickness, skilled workers leaving the manufacturer, insufficient training or economic factors (including inflation & wages). When there are insufficient personnel to operate machinery, perform assembly tasks or manage essential processes, the overall efficiency and productivity of the manufacturing operation can be compromised. This can cause a ripple effect throughout the production line, disrupting the workflow and potentially delaying the completion of orders.

• Packing goods into the Container: Occasionally, the manufacturer may overestimate the size of all goods that are required to fit into the container. The goods that do not “fit” into the container are left behind and are stored at the manufacturer. They are then placed in the next container departing for Abide Interiors.

• Shipping schedules: Abide Interiors can be advised by their shipping agent that the ship (on which our containers are carried) is delayed. These delays can be days or weeks depending on the “cause of delay”.  A standard shipping schedule for an Abide Interiors container may be Indonesia to Singapore, Singapore to Melbourne and Melbourne to Brisbane. At each port (Singapore & Melbourne in this example) the container is usually taken off and awaits the next ship going to the next destination. If the next ship is delayed or full, our container can be delayed or bumped onto another ship, causing further delays not only at this port, but it may miss the next ship at the next port it was meant to be on.

• Quality Control (QC): To ensure that the furniture goods Abide Interiors source and import are of the high quality, furniture goods undergo an internal QC by the manufacturer and an external QC by a third party contractor. If the furniture goods do not meet Abide Interiors quality standards after a thorough inspection and testing, the manufacturer of the goods will take corrective actions to fix, adjust or remake the furniture good/s. Depending on the severity of the defect, this may delay the good/s from being loaded and dispatched on the container.

• Container Quarantine by Australian customs: Customs quarantine for containers in Australian ports occurs on a regular basis. It refers to the process of subjecting containers arriving at a port to quarantine measures by the customs authorities. The purpose of customs quarantine is to prevent the introduction or spread of pests, diseases, or prohibited goods into a country or region. Customs quarantine can mean that containers arriving into Australian ports for Abide Interiors can be held up before being delivered to Abide Interiors. Containers that undergo customs quarantine are held by authorities to review shipping documents, undergo a risk assessment, physical inspection, sampling and testing, fumigation & treatment and x-raying. If Abide Interiors containers are held up by customs authorities then the arrival of customers furniture goods will be delayed.

A variety of supply chain delays can occur, leading to customers not receiving their goods as estimated. Unfortunately, these delays may not always be effectively communicated to customers due to breakdowns in communication channels or inadequate information sharing within the supply chain back.

Abide Interiors are a dedicated furniture company that places a strong emphasis on providing customers with swift and efficient delivery of their goods. We strive to streamline our supply chain processes and optimise logistics to ensure timely order fulfillment. However, in cases where unforeseen circumstances or external factors lead to supply chain delays, we sincerely apologise to you, our valued customers. We thank you for your business and appreciate your patience.