News & Press

As a professional responsible for the specification and selection of cleaning supplies — such as microfiber towels, mops, and other related materials—you may have found yourself in a situation where you weren't able to procure the product you needed. While there are a variety of contributing factors, the root cause of all product shortages falls into three categories:

1. Product manufacturing


2. Product transportation


3. The service you receive from suppliers

At ACA Enterprises, we are a manufacturer of microfiber products that are used in a variety of industries including Jan/San, healthcare, foodservice, hospitality, education, among others. As such, we have a unique perspective to ensure our distributor-customers and their customers have the inventory they need when they need it. In this blog, we’ll offer our insights.

Microfiber Availability: What You Need to Know

If there was one global event that brought recent awareness to the supply chain disruption, it was undoubtedly the COVID-19 pandemic. The heightened need for cleaning and sanitation products skyrocketed virtually overnight. At the same time, shut-downs across many industries and countries put strains on production and transportation. Products that were previously readily available became prized commodities. COVID-19 was arguably an unexpected phenomenon, yet many manufacturers such as ACA Enterprises helped our customers get through that challenging time, and we all learned lessons for how to be better prepared for the future.

While the supply chain issues of COVID-19 aren’t an everyday occurrence, there are certain factors that contribute on a more regular basis to the availability of microfiber and other cleaning supplies. Why do product shortages happen? Let’s take a look:

• High volume and high demand products, such as microfiber, are more susceptible to shortages. These items turn on a quick basis, and therefore manufacturers, distributors and their customers must consistently and frequently monitor their inventories.


• Logistics issues can lead to product shortages. Occurrences such as backed up ports, trucking and railway issues are contributing factors. Yet there may also be an unexpected event such as the recent collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore that halted regional shipping for 11 weeks. Therefore, it’s critical for manufacturer and logistic companies to be nimble and creative in getting products to customers.


• Labor strikes and worker shortages impact availability of product. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 33 major work stoppages that idled nearly 460,000 workers in the U.S. in 2023. In addition, many industries now find themselves lacking the talent they need to fill critical roles, including in the transportation sector. These disruptions limit the ability for product to move around the country once it reaches a U.S. port.


• Global events. We operate in a global economy, one in which challenges, celebrations, conflicts, and even natural disasters can play a role in whether a customer in Anytown, USA has access to product. Again, this calls for everyone involved in supplying product to be proactive, timely and accurate with forecasting to ensure proper inventories.
  

Service Can Make or Break Your Ability to Access Microfiber Products

Manufacturers and distributors of microfiber and other common cleaning products have limited control in the scenarios listed above. However, the right manufacturer can help customers to mitigate their exposure to these risks and help ensure adequate stocking. It all begins with service.

As a distributor considering a partnership with a manufacturer, there are key aspects of the relationship that can help you avoid product shortages:

Same Day Shipping. Once product reaches the United States, it should be readily available for shipping. That means same day shipments can be the norm and not the exception. This keeps product flowing into your inventory when you need it.

• Drop Ship Services. Manufacturers should remain flexible to provide shipping in the way that best makes sense for a customer’s operations. That might mean drop shipping directly to an end user, or special routing to meet their customers’ and end users’ needs.


• Custom Packaging Fulfillment. Distributors and their customers sometimes require special packaging. This could mean private labeling of product, customized packaging or RFID chips, or varying combinations of product packaged together for multiple locations. These special needs should be baked into manufacturer capabilities to avoid the delays which then cause product shortages.


• Custom Sourcing. For customers with special or unusual needs, a manufacturer should be able provide alternative sources to ensure adequate inventory.


• In-Field Training. Proper training can help distributors support their end user customers in matching the right product, identifying inventory needs, and educating on appropriate use and life cycle of various microfiber cleaning towels. This is important when it comes to inventory levels because it helps ensure full lifecycle use of the best product for the jobs at hand to minimize waste.


• Sales Calls. The manufacturer can support distributors on sales calls, helping their customers make the proper choices in real time and providing education on proper forecasting and stock levels. This empowers both the distributor and the end user to feel confident about the products and their inventory as they enter into the relationship.

The points above all make up the ACA Advantage Program an approach that brings tremendous value to our distributors and their customers in the Jan/San, healthcare, foodservice, hospitality, and other key markets that rely on us for their microfiber product needs. And we believe that it’s key to the discussion on inventory and avoiding shortages, because each point is an aspect we can control. Remember, we can’t control strikes or a global pandemic, but we can work to provide our customers with the level of service and support required to mitigate unforeseeable challenges that can impact inventory.