Shipping and Chinese New Year

Every year, Chinese New Year seems like it is going to be a huge issue for the shipping industry and every year is just as flowing as any other skeleton shipping time period. Given that it is an annual holiday for the people in China, companies can plan for this and work around the weeks that it affects. Unfortunately some people do not realize that they will need to plan ahead for this holiday. If you do not plan ahead it can offset orders by weeks and delay delivery to customers by weeks as well. 

Even though the actual holiday is not that long, the celebration can go on for much longer. Sometimes the people in the factories that are on holiday have a late start getting back in to work. In fact some people do not come back at all for weeks. This can create a huge problem for the companies that are waiting for their goods. This is part of the reason retail companies in the US will order up to 3 weeks of extra orders to be shipped by ocean in advance of this holiday. Even after the actual holiday is over, the some factories will not be up to full capacity for more than a week even having to replace some of its workers to get back on track.

Chinese New Year, while it is a great holiday for the people in Asia, can wreak havoc on logistics and supply chain management if no one has planned ahead. This is why it is so important for buyers to keep in close touch with factories leading up to this time period. It is better to have too much inventory than to lose customer orders because of a holiday. Consult with a trusted freight forwarder who can guide you through shipping around Chinese New Year.