Tackling Supply Chain Disruption

High quality service and support for our customers, in addition to relatively few supply issues and in general very stable costs has been the focus for WhitChem for many years. As a result, our customers have benefited from steady pricing and outstanding on time in full performance from WhitChem, which we very much pride ourselves on upholding.

During the Covid pandemic many of WhitChem’s customers have been directly involved in essential supply chains supporting the fight against Coronavirus and our entire team at WhitChem have been working incredibly hard to ensure our customers continue receiving the products and technical support they need.

The impact of the Coronavirus outbreak on the supply of our products throughout most of 2020 was scarcely significant, however across 2021 we witnessed dramatic changes to our usual business environment.

The UK’s departure from the EU Single Market also came at a time of global supply issues brought on by the pandemic and made a difficult situation even more difficult and certainly more costly. Across our entire business we have been adapting and evolving to a multitude of new challenges by adjusting the way we do business to limit the impact on our customers.

High demand from customers alongside shortages of key products, numerous Force Majeures, shortages in transport vessels, logistics issues as a result of Covid travel restrictions, delays on imported goods due to Brexit-related paperwork/customs clearance and increased raw material costs have inevitably led to price increases across most product lines; many of which have been dramatic and difficult to manage.

We feel it important to acknowledge the difficult position in which this current market situation puts our customers, and we want to provide reassurance that WhitChem are working hard to minimise costs where possible whilst ensuring we can continue to supply under these less favorable trading conditions. We are committed to the long-term success of our customers and welcome any opportunity to work with customers to improve our service and reduce costs where feasible.

In response to the UK leaving the EU, WhitChem have been vigilant in maintaining open communication with both suppliers and customers to ensure we take necessary actions for continuation of supply, by offering regulatory support and stock planning.

We are extremely experienced in cross border trading and are well acquainted with the various import, export and regulatory frameworks required to continue trading with the EU. Where we purchase products from overseas suppliers, we have been proactively working to reduce cost implications of haulage, tariffs, and customs charges as much as possible (e.g. consolidation of orders and evaluation of alternative transportation channels).

We pride ourselves on our well-established strong relationships and deep commitment to each and every one of our suppliers. By working together with them we are continuing to do our very best to support our customers futures through these changing times.

As the UK continues with its successful vaccination programme, we feel much greater optimism that in the future we will be able to return to a more ‘normal’ way of life. We have successfully implemented all necessary precautions to allow all our office staff to resume onsite working as opposed to working remotely.

One of the biggest challenges we have faced has been to find alternative means of quality communication with our customers where this be by email, video, or phone calls where face to face meetings have not been possible. Where and when government guidelines allow, we have encouraged face to face meetings where possible as we understand the importance of these meetings to our customers. We recognize the greater value of in person meetings for both our sales team and customers, so we hope that in future we are able to return to a new normality which allows such meetings to go ahead more freely.