While the Big Freeze experienced by the gulf states this winter is over, there are many lingering effects. One of those is a disruption in the nation’s chemical supplies. A significant number of the chemical plants supplying North America are located in areas that were hard hit by this historic weather event, and dozens of these plants sustained damage significant enough to shut them down completely for weeks. Others are operating at reduced capacity.
For the fiberglass industry, this has led to a shortage of resin, a critical and major ingredient in the tanks and pipes that Diamond Fiberglass manufactures. Diamond Fiberglass procurement technicians have been scouring every corner of the nation’s resin supply network and so far have succeeded in locating enough resin that production remains at high levels and no delivery dates have been pushed back.
At this time, it is impossible to predict when resin supplies will return to normal. Indications are that by end of April most of the chemical plants will be operating again and by the end of May the resin supply pipeline will be full. We’ll just have to see.
Here’s a link to a Wall Street Journal article about the Big Freeze and its effect on supply chains: https://www.wsj.com/articles/one-week-texas-freeze-seen-triggering-monthslong-plastics-shortage-11615973401.
For more information about Diamond Fiberglass, please visit our website at diamondfiberglass.com.