Supply Pain Management

Volcanoes in Iceland, earthquakes in Japan, tsunamis in the Indian Ocean. The past 20 years have seen plenty of natural disasters disrupt supply chains around the world. Yet, nothing compares to the havoc wreaked by coronavirus. While China, South Korea and other countries are beginning to emerge from self-imposed quarantines, much of Europe and the US remains in the pandemic’s grip and, in some instances, that is creating a chokehold on supply during a time of overwhelming demand. For example, sales of hand sanitizers have soared more that 800% in the past few weeks as health care fears grow (see charts). At the same time, nearly every company in our industry is producing hand sanitizer, which is creating tremendous pressure on alcohol and carbomer manufacturers.


“I’ve been wheeling and dealing with alcohol suppliers,” Cosmetic Solutions COO Warren Becker told Happi. “I’m talking to gasoline manufacturers, distilleries and even companies in the printing business t