Possible Production Delays??

It's a big problem. Wuhan is a manufacturing hub.

George

All its going to do is slow down my spending!

From an industry insider, the additional time off is going to cause delays and in some cases a bit of a cash crunch for our manufacturers.

Scott Smith

Fortunately, most of us on this forum have more trains and equipment than we can run.  Maybe delays will increase train values and sales at train shows?  

This will be a big problem for the economy if it persists.  The USA and other countries rely on Chinese imports for everything from toys to medicine.  Shortages of things like medicine, tools and nearly everything else could be a disaster.  Railroads may stop running because there will be no full containers to haul.

Of course, the biggest disaster is the suffering and deaths of the many people who contract this virus.  I pray that medical authorities will be able to isolate the virus and develop a vaccine to defeat it.  NH Joe

Regarding trade/commerce disruption by this outbreak, the biggest problem (so far) might be that because 80% or our pharmaceutical base ingredients come from China we may face drug shortages. 

We are already seeing delays on Fiber, SFPs, and other items that are made in China.  

The Chinese government extended the Lunar New Year an additional week until Feb 9th due to the coronavirus and there are a few areas that have extended the holiday to February 15th. In addition they have closed all the schools until the first of March. The biggest issue is not the facilities being closed the extra week is that most of the population travels for the new year and depending on where you traveled to and from there is a 2-14 day quarantine that you have to stay home. All these things will affect any items coming out of China but will it specifically cause product cancellation no, delays yes. What it may do, my company included, is cause companies to widen their supply base and not have so much centered in China. We already had a supply base in Thailand and know looking at additional countries, not just in Asia.

I was thinking about this last week while perusing the new catalog.

It’s certainly possible but, frankly, this fits into the “it is what it is” category for me. 

Even absent the virus, I’ve always been a it-will-get-here-when-it-gets-here person rather than hanging on potential and often in error delivery dates.

jlm1973 posted:

 What it may do, my company included, is cause companies to widen their supply base and not have so much centered in China. We already had a supply base in Thailand and know looking at additional countries, not just in Asia.

Obviously too much dependence on one country's production can lead to economic crisis worldwide if there's a problem. Like jlm says, this should encourage companies to figure out how to comply with the old wisdom, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket." 

Was also thinking about eggs and baskets while reading this. Something all manufacturers should be thinking about. Tariffs of the last few years also being something to think about when storing your eggs. 

Just think: if we must stop buying trains made in China maybe the zinc pest problem will disappear...

MCKCONRR posted:

All its going to do is slow down my spending!

Agreed! I now have some more time to save up for my outstanding orders.

rex desilets posted:

Just think: if we must stop buying trains made in China maybe the zinc pest problem will disappear...

Zinc pest has been around long before China got involved in making trains!

With the current Coronavirus, past Swine flu, Bird flu, SARS, MRSA, the economic downturn and subsequent mass factory closings, I would expect delays to be the norm with any products coming from China. There is one model train manufacturer that has not seen any new product in a couple of years due to factory closings in China.

I'm not concerned about any delays this horrible disease has/will cause.  I just pray for all those who are sick or have lost loved ones.  These are just toys, when they come they come. 

I'm thankful to our government for taking strong measure to stem the spread of the virus in the US and hope this crises will be over soon.

Why don,t these company make partner ships with other countries?China is not the only country that has skilled workers.I know Germany has skilled workers.They are well known for their trains any way.Or give Canada a shot.Will such a move be hard?Most likely but some one has already stated.About having all your eggs in one basket.But only time will tell on how bad coronavirus and just how far its gonna spread.

It is a concern, but in ordinary times most Chinese factories are closed for 2 weeks in February for the Lunar New Year.