It’s already an extremely busy spring here at Superior Fireworks, with a lot of exciting projects in the works that we can’t wait to share with you in the coming weeks. Our team is also deep into fireworks production with our partners in China, and we have several important updates today that are impacting our customers as we head rapidly toward the 4th of July.
Manufacturing Delays
The fireworks manufacturing schedule in China has been extremely limited for the U.S. market this year. This first became a concern in January when booming demand in China leading up to Chinese New Year diverted production capacity, especially for repeaters, with many factories pivoting to prioritize more profitable domestic sales. This delayed the start of most U.S. market manufacturing until late February.
They needed an extremely productive March to get back on track, but unfortunately, that did not happen. With shutdowns for government meetings, unfavorable weather, and unplanned safety inspections, there were only 10 days of fireworks production in March.
The sense of urgency is increasing as factories realize the error of trying to fit the whole U.S. market’s production into a little over two months. Vendors in China have started urging customers to buy from existing stock instead of new production, because they are concerned that many items won’t be ready in time for the 4th of July.
How This Impacts Us
Thankfully, our production plan last year included getting a year ahead on inventory for this year, so our total availability is actually in good shape. We have regular shipments coming from our warehouse in China that will keep us well stocked overall for the season.
The biggest challenge affects new items for 2024, which had to wait until 2024 production began. Since that work started so late, and so little has been done, we now need to manage expectations with our customers and make some adjustments.
Here’s what we’re working on:
- We discontinued pre-order on our website for items that are not currently in stock at our Florida warehouse and updated those listings to show that they will be coming in June. Some of those items could start arriving in May, but those first shipments will be allocated to existing orders.
- We’re continuing to update shipment dates for existing customer orders based on the latest information from our team in China. Generally, dates are being moved back to May 31 until we get more specific information.
- We’re reaching out to customers to identify anyone who needs to make substitutions and ship sooner. If that’s you, contact us!
- Our teams in the U.S. and China are working closely with factory partners to ensure that products are produced in priority order and that everyone has the resources needed to avoid unnecessary delays, to the extent we can control.
- We’re exploring shipping options that can get our containers loaded more quickly as production is completed to cut critical days in transit from the factory to our warehouse.
How This Impacts You
If you’ve already placed a wholesale order that includes pre-order items
Reach out to our team as soon as possible if you want to make substitutions instead of waiting for new items to arrive. We understand that many of you need time to prepare your 4th of July shows or need fireworks for Memorial Day weekend. We will work with you to make substitutions that ensure your order arrives in plenty of time.
You may also hear from our team over the next several weeks as we identify specific items of concern that may no longer be available in a timely fashion. Our goal at this point is to ship most of our early orders by the end of May, and we are tracking production of several items that may not arrive by then.
If you are planning a wholesale order
You have nothing to worry about! You’ll see some products on our website that aren’t available yet, but choosing from on-hand inventory still offers you great selection and you’ll be able to take delivery right away. We recommend not waiting for those “Coming Soon” items to arrive.
What’s Next
Our team is tackling the hard part, so you can sit back, relax, and know that your fireworks are in good hands! We’ll continue to provide updates and touch base individually as needed over the weeks ahead.
Feel free to reach out any time with questions or concerns at 904-213-0615 or sales@superiorfireworks.com.
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