Category: Shipping

What is happening with the US port strike?

The US port strike has caused significant delays, increasing costs for businesses and affecting supply chains. Steel prices may further rise due to high demand, tight supply, and disruptions in material shipments. Find out more below. What is happening with the US port strike? The US port strike, starting October 1, involves 47,000 ILA dockworkers […]

Market Update for August, Steel Price Increases

See what’s happening across commodity markets, and what’s sustaining the low-supply, high-demand scenario we find ourselves in. Steel: Record highs for hot rolled coil (HRC) continue, up almost to $1,900/ton and with lead times of 8-10 weeks. Demand continues to outpace supply for finished steel products, whether it’s appliances, cars, or steel pipe. Because of […]

Disruption in Ocean Freight, Increasing Delays and Costs

Another major ocean shipping disruption is underway This affects global supply chains Rising costs and delays result Ongoing high demand, low supply situation There is currently a disruption in ocean shipping, which has been more significant than the Suez Canal backup in March. The Port of Yantian in China is responsible for roughly 25% of […]

New Strut List Price Sheet

Limited supply and high demand have resulted in increases New Strut list price sheet dated 5/3 Metal conduit increase PVC conduit increase Flatbed availability is tight Earlier this month, strut manufacturers announced an 8-18% price increase going into effect today due to rising input costs. Historic demand and low supply levels have seen cold roll […]

A Mid-April Commodities Market Update

What’s happening: Lack of availability and strong demand are rising raw material costs Inventories are low and the supply chain is stretched thin A lack of shipping containers and domestic freight is increasing input costs Strong demand and pricing increases are expected to continue throughout 2021 As the Covid-19 recovery continues to gain momentum across […]

A March Commodities Update; PVC, Copper, Steel

What’s happening: Demand for copper, steel and PVC raw material is high Inventories for materials are low Covid-related supply chain disruptions remain Here’s a March, 2021 commodities update. Please call your Merfish United rep for guidance on purchasing, especially as you consider your needs for the spring buying period. We’re able to help you manage […]

The Global Shipping Backup on Video

A video from the U.S. Coast Guard shows the massive backup of container ships waiting to be unloaded at the Port of Los Angeles. As we’ve previously mentioned, Covid-19 disruptions continue to affect the availability of dock workers needed to unload ships and containers. With a backup in Western receiving, containers themselves aren’t able to […]