Stone Forest sources stone blocks from all over the world and much of this material is shipped into the west coast, where port laborers (who happen to be the highest paid blue collar workers on planet earth) have initiated a slow down in order to add pressure to pending contract negotiations. This slow down is causing major havoc with the shipping lanes and lead times.
Container ships are now ‘drifting’ to the US instead of steaming, so shipping times are drawn out. Once they arrive at port, they are anchored out in the bay awaiting a dock to unload. When the containers are finally unloaded, they join the thousands of other containers on the docks that are stacking up until appointments can be made for pick up. These appointments can take weeks if the container is on the bottom of the 10th row back under 16 other containers.
What once was a 3-4 week process from raising anchor to receiving material is now taking 7-9 weeks. These times do not include the sourcing of materials or the time to sculpt and finish our stone products.
This added time in material transport is affecting the normal flow of our materials and delaying products including some stock designs and most custom projects.
We’re stuck in the same boat (pun intended) as countless other manufacturers relying on imported materials. We’re doing what we can to get your product out to you as fast as possible and appreciate your patience and understanding while we all work through this.
Here’s to a fast resolution and a return to normal.
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