By Daryl Michel, Strategic Account Manager
We know it can be frustrating when you see “out of stock” below one of your core items on the Lion website. Aside from the inconvenience, it can also bring up several questions: What does this mean? Is it going to be in stock soon? What affects stock at Lion? Isn’t this about better planning at Lion Safety?
While it’s always our intention to ensure our clients have fast access to the safety workwear they need, items do fall out of stock. We’ve put together this article to help you understand why this happens and what you can do to avoid it.
Below, we’ve broken this topic down into subsections, so you can jump ahead if you have a specific question:
If you see ‘out of stock’ by any of our items on the portal, or receive notification of an out of stock product on a recent order, the product is:
If due to a shortage, your account manager will contact you to discuss other options available.
Items can become out of stock for a variety of reasons:
If a wholesaler, manufacturer, or distributor has not made accurate plans for their client’s demands, this leads to understocked goods.
Though unusual, this happens when customers buy unexpectedly large quantities of products. This could be due to sudden change in requirements, a supplier let-down, or any other reason you would need to buy stock in bulk.
For example, earlier this year, we had a prospect working in network distribution whose supplier let them down. They had 500+ employees in dire need of kits with the correct specification of FR AS and Arc flash technical workwear. Some employees were working on-site wearing hi-vis polo shirts and jeans when they needed arc protection. This put some of their projects on the line. Working in high-risk environments associated with the industry without the specialist kit put their employees at risk of injury or death.
Due to the magnitude of the project and potential contract (500+ employees all needing technical workwear) and the urgency of their situation, we had to move fast.
So, we included our clothing manufacturer in discussions with the company. We also took the figures to supply forecasts for the initial order and forecast for the future too. This way, we always have a minimum stock level ready to eradicate delays for this customer in the future.
If you have been let down by a supplier and need bulk stock ordering, get in touch with our sales team today. They can also help you to determine how to forecast your stock needs to avoid future disappointment.
Shipping delays happen for many reasons:
Delays in manufacturing are a result of:
These delays can add 2-6 weeks or more to a lead time.
Natural disasters are becoming a more frequent occurrence, but this, of course, is not something people can control in the moment! From volcanic eruptions disrupting flight paths, to earthquakes; natural disasters have a huge impact on global transportation, adding weeks (if not months) to delivery schedules.
Excessive global demand leads to bidding wars. A bidding war happens when people bid for production space, and the supplier or manufacturer does not cap the price. Bidding wars lead to:
This might seem an extreme variable to include, but it does effect the supply chain and your lead times.
War affects the product supply routes in many ways:
Brexit has had a significant effect on the supply of items brought through the EU to the UK.
Some of these impacts have shown themselves in the following forms:
Yes, items are going out of stock more often than in previous years.
With an increase in ‘global incidents,’ including Covid-19, breakouts of war and economic instability, there has been significant supply chain disruption.
Lion counteracts these variables by:
Out of stock items will affect you if you are purchasing a product that is already listed as out of stock. If this happens, we will offer you an alternative product. Any alternative that we give you will be to an equivalent or higher specification. Sometimes, there is not a direct alternative, in which case your account manager will work with you to find an option better suited to your requirements.
There will be additional costs if you require an alternative product that is more expensive.
An example of this: if our FRAS Coverall Nordic Design Royal (treated fabric, £81.88) was out of stock, we would suggest our integra.wear FRAS Coverall c/w Stripes Royal (inherent fabric, £124.52) instead. These items are a perfect alternative to one another, as they look almost identical and offer the same protection. The integra.wear one is more expensive due to the inherent fabric, which means it will retain its FRAS properties, where the former does not.
Yes. You can still order an out-of-stock item, but, one of two things will happen:
If a product is discontinued or has a longer lead time, your account manager will get in touch to discuss alternatives to the product.
Some products are unicorns (they are one-of-a-kind items in the market), and in the eventuality that there is no other alternative, your next steps are:
If the alternative to your preferred product is more expensive; yes. If there is nothing available of equal specification or quality, we prefer to ‘upgrade’ specification rather than to ‘downgrade’. This is better explained with examples:
If, for example, you needed a V12 Otter shoe (lightweight, metal-free), but we did not have it in stock or anything of equal specification, we would suggest the V12 Bison as an alternative. It is a higher standard, still meeting minimum requirements, as well as offering a higher level of protection with features like; an HRO (heat resistant) IGS (intelligent grip system) sole unit, and manufacturing processes that provide better ergonomic shaping for the foot.
So why not alternate for V12 Rhino, which is similar to the Otter and less expensive?
While the Rhino uses the same sole unit as the Otter, it uses a poorer quality leather and the construction is based on a typical chukka boot, including metal eyelets, which means it is not metal-free and due to its style might not be as comfortable as the Otter.
Therefore, we would consider this a bad match. While it is in a similar price range, we would not suggest this, as it may not meet the required specifications for the job. The Bison is more expensive, but in the absence of the Otter, the Bison is the better option.
We are open to working with you to come to an arrangement on costs. If this is likely to be a long-term change, we would present you with a new business case for an alternate product that would better suit your needs. Don’t worry, items becoming out of stock can be a catalyst for positive change!
Yes, if you are buying from our core stock range.
Our core stock range will always be available to purchase with same or next day delivery options.
Yes, if you don’t have a binding contract to take the goods or if the goods you ordered are not made-to-order. We understand that situations change, but we need to negotiate this if it is a made-to-order product (something that has been made bespoke for you, and/or is already branded). However, if the item was a custom order but has not actually been made yet due to being out of stock, you would be able to cancel the order.
We will always work with you to determine your needs. A great way to ensure stock is to have a stock agreement. If you have this agreement, we will hold the correct core stock and branded stock to a set of agreed minimums/maximums for a defined duration.
Another way of safeguarding your stock is to choose core stock items that Lion already holds.
Discovering that your items are out of stock is frustrating, but we’re here to tell you that there are ways you can move past this and ensure it does not happen.
There are options for you, and this often starts by talking to your account manager to figure out what the best alternative is. Your items can be out of stock for a whole host of reasons, as shown above, but to summarise, your biggest players in the “out of stock” ball game are:
As we’ve said, there are things you can do to ensure these factors don’t affect you. If you’re ready to take the next steps, they are:
Enquire here for more information.
If you need to speak to your account manager about a stock issue, you can book a call with them directly: