Not Enough Foam To Cushion The Shortage!

A foam shortage...think about how many products that impacts. That is one more thing that delays doing business in many ways!

Although word is that the problem of having a foam shortage seems to be improving, can you imagine how that has effected numerous businesses like making furniture which needs it for sofas, mattresses, and numerous other Furniture products.

Their is a very high demand for many products that have to have foam and that demand is a lot higher than the industry is able to supply. Therefore, combine the shortage with backlogs for shipping, and a lack of truck drivers...and that means many furniture orders that were placed some time back, won't be delivered until 2022.

If you're wondering how we got into such a shortage in the first place, you have to look back to the winter Texas storms back in February of this year. The foam industry experienced a lot of damage from that freeze for a sustained period of time causing a lot of damage.

Earlier this year, the Houston Chronicle's Diane Cowen reported "That weather shut down the chemical plants that make propylene oxide, a key chemical in polyurethane foam — the same foam that's used in mattresses, couch cushions, and seats in cars."

Russ Batson, executive director of the Polyurethane Foam Association, an industry group that represents foam manufacturers, told Insider in an email...

"While foam production has now returned to pre-pandemic levels, it's inadequate to meet strong consumer demand for products, demand that spiked due to a rush in home-buying during the pandemic and a desire to trick out our spaces after spending so many months at home."

As the auto industry starts to rebound, automakers are going to want their share of foam which will put even more pressure on the foam industry.

Batson also commented on that having sent out a warning earlier this year saying...

"Couch and mattress companies are lucky, in a way, that they're not seeing foam diverted to automakers. As car companies grapple with an ongoing semiconductor shortage, they're making fewer vehicles. Fewer cars means automakers require less foam to put in vehicle seats."

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Looks like more patience is going to be required until another supply chain breakdown is resolved!

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