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The Covid-19 pandemic was an eye-opener about our face masks supply chain and bottlenecks in their retail. If you run a hospital, a mall, a public institution, or a store that stocks and distributes face masks to the general public, you must have dealt with a lot during the virus outbreak.
The virus hit 25 countries, affected 532 million people, and took the lives of 6.3 million. Researchers and scientists declared face masks as the first line of defense against its transmission and infection.
Naturally, the massive numbers caused an enormous surge in mask demand. China was the biggest supplier, with the capacity to produce 20 million masks per day in January 2020, and even it could not meet its local demand.
There was a severe shortage for the general public, but the healthcare staff suffered the most. Hospitals searched high and low for high-capacity manufacturers, and shopkeepers sought more reliable dealers to keep their businesses running.
Here is a detailed guide on all the lessons we learned about the bottlenecks in the face mask distribution chain and how to overcome them.
Face Mask Distribution Bottlenecks During The Pandemic
High demand, scarce labor, inadequate byproducts, and export restrictions disrupted the face mask supply chain. Several manufacturing companies and governments dealt with backlogs in production to ensure delivery to dealers and retailers.
However, the retailers experienced their own bottlenecks and had a hard time overcoming them. Here are a few flaws in the face mask distribution chain we came across during the pandemic:
1. Delayed Deliveries
Travel restrictions, export bans, and logistic infrastructure adversely affected the constant supply of face masks to retailers and consumer organizations. Several businesses suffered not because of insufficient production but delayed shipments of their orders.
Hospitals ran without an adequate stock of PPE and exposed their workers to the risk of infection.
How To Cope?
Here are a few tips to avoid shortage issues due to untimely shipments:
- Assess and keep track of your remaining stock
- Keep an eye on the consumption rate
- Order the next shipment well before you run out of your stock
- Partner with a supplier that is capable of providing seamless deliveries, for example, Ecolive
2. Thefts And Hijacking Of Shipments
The pandemic caused a frenzy worldwide, and the shortage of PPE led people to take drastic measures. Several shipments were hijacked and stolen during transit, giving rise to an even more severe crisis.
How To Cope?
If your cargo faces any illegal disruption, here’s how you can deal with it:
- Keep track of your package. It helps you stay updated about its whereabouts and the possible location of the theft.
- Contact your distributor. You can get valuable information that could help you retrieve the package.
- Inform the authorities. Government institutions and police can help you in this regard.
- Keep your shipments confidential.
3. Insufficient Production
The world had difficulty coping with the insane demands of face masks during the pandemic. Most manufacturers could not meet the vast numbers of orders, and their production chains crashed under severe stress.
Also, companies had a hard time dealing with raw materials shortages, specifically polypropylene. It is a melt-blown plastic primary component of disposable face masks and suffered an availability crisis due to high demand during the Coronavirus outbreak.
How To Cope?
If you are having a hard time coping with face masks shortage, here’s what you can do:
- Partner with a large-scale manufacturer like Ecolive that deals in orders of all sizes
- Ensure that your supplier keeps its stock stored to be made available on demand
- Buy polypropylene alternatives such as biodegradable PLA masks
4. Hoarding
Another challenge the downstream part of the face mask value chain faced was distributors hoarding PPE. Although petty, hoarding was an effective tactic to produce a depletion in the market. Hence, such suppliers took advantage of soaring needs and made high profits.
How To Cope?
If you know a supplier or retailer hoarding face masks with the intention of profiteering, here’s what you can do:
- Report to the local authorities
- Spread awareness among the masses
- Deal with a manufacturer that cares about its customers
How Ecolive Helps You Overcome Distribution Backlogs?
Ecolive is a trusted face mask producer, already dealing with 500+ wholesale sellers, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, public institutions, government facilities, environmental organizations, and many more.
We are the only manufacturers producing biodegradable face masks on a large scale and at reasonable prices in Russia, delivering world-wide. Here’s how they can help you overcome disruptions in the face mask distribution chain:
1. High Production Capacity
The manufacturing facilities of Ecolive can produce high volumes of Biodegradable masks. You can place any size of order and get your shipment on time.
2. 5-Days Delivery
Ecolive promises to deliver all sizes of orders within five days. Hence, you don’t have to worry about face masks stock depleting with no backup. Ecolive ensures that your business is always up and running.
3. Smooth Shipping
Ecolive has worked out its logistics, so you don’t have to worry about delayed payments due to problems in transit. The smooth shipping process ensures you get your delivery within five days only.
4. Never-Ending Supply
Even if there are issues with the production chain, Ecolive keeps a stock of its products in its warehouse in Ekaterinburg. They are your trusted suppliers even in conditions of panic.
5. Eco-Friendly Alternative
There was a shortage of conventional raw materials such as polypropylene during the pandemic. Ecolive’s biodegradable alternative benefited the environment and helped distributors overcome the material shortage. Read how they played their part in protecting everyone during the pandemic.
6. Reasonable Pricing
The primary issue faced by most institutions amid the Covid-19 crisis was the soaring prices of PPEs due to their high demand. Ecolive promises to provide its products in a reasonable price range and offers special terms and conditions of delivery and payments.
Humans produce 400 million tons of hazardous trash annually. And face masks are one of the many pollutants. Read more about it over here.
Let’s all play our part by turning to eco-friendly alternatives that are also easier to access and are reasonably priced.
Be a responsible citizen and order your biodegradable face masks from Ecolive at exclusive deals and discounts until they are valid.
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