17 Sep Navigating Supply Chain Disruptions Impacting the Interior Design Industry

Supply chain disruptions brought on by the pandemic are wreaking havoc on businesses across many industries—and commercial interior design firms are feeling the squeeze. Inventory is unavailable, shipments are delayed, and lead times are at an all-time high.

At Model55, we work with a wide network of global vendors to provide our customers the best possible pricing on model apartment furniture. But a severe backlog of orders from the early days of the pandemic has made procuring furniture extremely difficult for the entire industry.

To make matters worse, some of our suppliers are located in areas considered global epicenters for the virus. Recurring lockdowns and quarantines continue to slow their economies, leaving furniture vendors unable to fulfill standard order quantities.

Supply chain problems persist in the United States, too. When furniture shipments do arrive, they’re getting stuck in port due to a lack of staffing, contributing to major shipping delays.

Global supply chains may be in complete disarray, but Model55 has strategies to navigate these disruptions and minimize the impact on our clients.

We’ve fortified our logistics and planning to continue delivering high-quality, turn-key model apartment solutions while minimizing project delays.

How Model55 Mitigates the Impact of Supply Chain Disruptions

Here’s what we’re doing to ensure that our processes continue to run smoothly:

Beginning projects quickly

“In-stock” is somewhat of a loose term right now. Items that appear to be in stock today may no longer be available tomorrow. We’re helping clients expedite order approvals so they don’t risk missing out on an item that they love. And since container shipments are taking approximately 3x longer to arrive than normal, the faster we can place an order, the better.

Maintaining process transparency

For each project, we map out a conservative schedule of the apartment design and installation process, including all anticipated milestones. These schedules provide our customers with realistic project timelines (including some breathing room) for planning purposes.

Designing for in-stock products

When our designers start a new project, they shop exclusively for in-stock items that are ready to ship. Limiting their search to what’s currently or soon-to-be-available prevents a last-minute scramble for replacements.

Tracking items proactively

We track and monitor product delivery dates regularly to ensure all items arrive according to our timeline. If a particular item is running behind schedule, we develop an alternative plan and present it proactively to our client.

Using a broad vendor network

Many design teams are stuck dealing with 20-week lead times right now, but we’re still turning around complete model apartments in approximately 4-6 weeks from the time orders are placed. As a nationwide company with a broad network of global vendors, we guarantee the most cost-effective furniture solutions for our clients’ budgets.

Supply chain problems aren’t going away anytime soon, but Model55 will continue doing everything we can to mitigate the impact on our customers. Contact us today to discuss your model apartment needs!