Careful planning required during cable management materials shortages

In July 2021, leading electrotechnical and engineering services body ECA urged its members, as well as the wider industry, to exercise caution and plan as far ahead as possible on projects involving cable management systems (CMS).

The message came after manufacturers' body BEAMA warned that long lead times for CMS supplies could continue into Q1 of 2022, coupled with increasing raw material costs. Factors cited to be behind this supply problem include shipping and shortages of timber and cardboard, which are affecting packaging.

ECA CEO Steve Bratt commented, “Extra care should be taken when planning projects and with project costings. For many, ongoing delays in the availability of some cable management system materials will continue to have a negative impact on cost and completion time.

"With this in mind, our advice to the industry is to order your CMS materials in good time to ensure you can finish as planned. ECA will keep members informed as the situation develops.”

ECA held an exclusive webinar with the Electrical Distributors' Association (EDA) and BEAMA examining the impact of the materials shortage on the electrical sector. The full session recording can be viewed here.

Rob Driscoll, ECA Director of Legal and Business, commented, “Following the impact of coronavirus, the Suez Canal incident and Brexit, we have seen demand rocket in an environment of restricted supply. As feared, margins have been squeezed to breaking point. For electrotechnical and engineering services contractors experiencing growing demand for projects as we emerge from lockdown, our advice remains: plan, plan, plan!”

ECA reiterates the continuing need for contractors and installers to engage with manufacturers and distributors as early as possible about their ongoing CMS requirements. ECA has published comprehensive guidance on the situation and the various commercial and contractual options for managing associated risks. This is available here for ECA members.

This article originally appeared on the ECA website under the headline, 'ECA urges careful planning amid ongoing materials shortage'. It was published on 22 July 2021.

--ECA