How These N.Y.C. Companies Are Skirting the Supply Chain Crisis

Focusing on local parts and production, some manufacturers have been rewarded during the pandemic. Clogged ports. Product shortages overseas. Overburdened container ships. Price increases.

For businesses that rely on the global supply chain, this holiday season has become particularly stressful.

City manufacturing hubs have also expanded over the past 18 months. The Brooklyn Navy Yard has leased an additional 300,000 square feet, and Industry City, in Sunset Park, has filled an additional 800,000 square feet. “More companies are understanding they want their office, their design, their manufacturing, even their customers right next to their warehouse distribution,” said Andrew Kimball, the chief executive of Industry City. “We can do all those things here.”

But some local companies aren’t focused on getting the cheapest products and labor; they want the best.

“Other manufacturers make their products overseas, and that is because it’s very expensive to build things in Brooklyn,” said Laura Fodera, a co-owner and the chief executive of Fodera, a guitar maker in Industry City. “But our customers know we are different. We use the highest quality products, exotic woods, proprietary goods, and all of our labor is done in-house in Brooklyn.”

While customers used to comment on the high prices, in the current climate they appreciate being able to get a Fodera guitar. “Our wait times are currently between 14 and 18 months, but that is not due to the supply chain issues,” she said. “It’s strictly because of an abundance of sales.”

This is an excerpt from the original New York Times story published on December 3, 2021; to read the full article, click here.

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