Lumber and steel, drywall and insulation, new cars and rental cars, computer chips and bacon. What do these commodities all have in common? They are in short supply. And these shortages are impacting industries across the nation. Construction is feeling the pressure, as contractors face delays and customers grow impatient.
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing has been hard hit by factory shutdowns, border closings, and delivery slowdowns, and many businesses are still catching up. In addition, severe weather, including last year’s hurricanes and winter storms, forced many companies to decrease or stop production for various periods of time. More recently, worldwide flooding has damaged equipment and warehouses, blocked roads and railways, and wreaked further havoc on the global supply chain.