PRM-TAIWAN

3 Takeaways for the Foam Industry after COVID


So the vaccine is out, and the end of COVID is coming.

As the world returns in steps and strides to pre-coronavirus standards of operation, you may be wondering—what should I do?

Simply pick up where I left off? Or has the pandemic impacted the foaming industry enough to necessitate change on my end?

How do I know what changes to make?

Thanks to Taiwan’s stringent safety protocols, Sunkist has been fortunate enough to stay in operation all throughout 2020. We’ve analyzed the market at large and our customers’ purchasing patterns to bring you a few key insights.


1. Costs are Increasing



This is true in a number of different realms. The three most important ones? Materials, shipping, and the US dollar.

Suppliers all over the globe—for steel and copper in particular—have been upping their prices. With the world in shutdown and delivery becoming the norm, global shipping rates have also gotten more expensive. These two factors in tangent means that the cost of ordering and getting foaming machines is only going to go up.

But hey, the upside? The US dollar is weak right now. This means major foaming companies around the world are actually mass-purchasing machines at this turn of the new year, since there’s no cheaper time to buy.



2. Demand isn’t Stopping



Let’s keep our focus on the major foaming companies—why else would they stock up on machines now?

Because they’re anticipating enough demand in the latter half of 2021. There are two sides to this coin, one positive, one more unfortunate.

The unfortunate side first: COVID-19 shut down large sectors of the world, and many smaller companies have been forced out of the game. This left vacuums in the supply chain that surviving companies are hoping to take advantage of.

The positive side: consumer-end demand doesn’t seem to be slowing. Despite the break that many manufacturers had had to take, major players are already getting ready for the 2021 year-end purchasing sprees, whether we’re talking Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years, etc. Bed-in-a-box is a continuously growing segment in bedding, right alongside traditional innersprings. Worldwide construction projects are slated to grow, as are travel rates, meaning growth in automobile and sporting goods industries alike.

This means that, if your factories made it out of COVID, congratulations. There are bright opportunities ahead.



3. Aggression is Smart



Point 1 and point 2 basically boil down to this: assess your situation, and act now. We obviously can’t speak for everybody in the world, but by and large, these are the patterns we’re seeing.

The pandemic might have put a halt to your operations, but the silver lining of that is your spending budget from last year? Some of that might still be there. Factory machinery is a hefty investment, but all the signs are urging you to buy sooner rather than later. If you know you’re due for a factory revamp or expansion, don’t wait—that expenses list is only going to grow.

So why not spend on necessary infrastructure when the price is good, in anticipation of future growth opportunities that are definitely going to come?

Get in touch with a Sunkist sales representative today.




SUNKIST Official Website https://www.sunkist-machinery.com/
SUNKIST on PRM-TAIWAN https://www.prm-taiwan.com/com/sunkist.html


 
Author:SUNKIST CHEMICAL MACHINERY LTD.
For over 40 years, Sunkist has steadily served the worldwide polyurethane foaming industry with our robust high-fidelity machines, all manufactured to order by us right here in Taiwan. Founder Ken Hwang established the principles of “Sunkist Quality” for our company’s products, spent decades hard at work building machines of every function precise to customer specifications, and cultivated a network of clients all over the globe. Because of this, we have become the only company to offer both high-end foaming and cutting machines, as well as products to serve all other functions in the foam plant. Our key markets have been foaming, mattresses, rubber, and nonwoven material in over 140 countries. We provide reliable, efficient, and durable machinery for our customers, and strive to continuously improve our product quality to match, if not become, the best in the world.