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We noted a few months ago that the COVID pandemic managed to reduce our manufacturing capacity while also increasing the demand for SnapPads (and practically all things RV). The result has been huge backlogs since we sell both directly to RVers and also to a wide range of RV dealers and distributors.
The pandemic environment also greatly reduced our ability to travel and review new product manufacturers, which is why there has been such a long delay in getting our capacity to where it needs to be. In fact, even when we found new, viable suppliers, their internal capacity was often impacted by COVID-related issues (the need to limit the number of workers on the floor, or the requirement to shut down production when a staff member tested positive for the virus, for example).
In short, it has been a difficult process. And we are still trying to fulfill a large volume of backorders.
However, we are getting very close to greatly increasing our capacity. As of the end of December 2020, we will have grown from one to four SnapPad manufacturers (all still located in the USA, by the way!). As each new manufacturer gets more comfortable with the process of making SnapPads, we are actively fabricating and seeding them with more cavities (because SnapPads are made in giant multi-ton presses that use heat and compression to stamp them out).
By January 2021, we should have four times (4X) more capacity for our top selling SnapPads than what we started out with in January 2020. In addition, we will be actively adding more and more capacity across our product lines as the season progresses and our relationships with our new production partners become stronger. This will help us finally clear the backlog of orders.
As the Christmas season draws near, we want to thank everyone for their patience and ongoing support this year. It’s been a longer, more difficult journey than we anticipated when we first started to tackle our production crisis, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks again for standing next to us during a troubling time and we hope that we (and everything else!) can emerge to a brighter future in 2021.
