The COVID-19 pandemic has changed everything in the world. It has changed the way we live in our homes, how we work, and also where we perform our work. Our homes have shifted to functioning as school rooms, and offices in addition to just being "home."

Work has been changed drastically, and these changes will continue. Not only are we working from home due to COVID-19, but we are dealing with other significant impacts to businesses too. Think about what was going on early in the pandemic with shortages of toilet paper, paper towels, certain food items, computers, even bicycles. What do all of these products have in common? These items, in one way or another, are all part of our "supply chain," for both home and work. We all now know how the supply chains were stressed and in some cases broken in early 2020, and what these stresses and outages look like at home and at work. As we enter the last part of the year, these challenges are not over just yet.

Chemistry Connection is committed to sourcing the highest quality products and ensuring our customers get the best value. As 2020 started we were already dealing with tightness in markets, especially chemicals and ingredients due to tariffs on Chinese goods. While China has always been a source for many products we offer, is has not always been a primary source of the top tier of chemicals we sell, but China still impacts markets because of the breadth of their production and how many chemicals they supply worldwide. COVID-19 further complicated these problems.

Like other companies Chemistry Connection, dba SaveonCitric.com and MakeYourOwn.buzz, is always looking for new suppliers and back up suppliers to make sure we can offer the best values to customers. When the COVID-19 pandemic started we began shifting in to a higher gear to move even quicker to make sure our supply chain was in good shape, stable, and reliable so that we could continue to supply our wonderful customers.

Here are some challenges we and most other companies continue to face as we move in to the fall, and as we all continue to meet challenges with COVID-19.

Production Constraints. Early on in 2020 the production of key products, as well as the harvesting of natural sourced products slowed down, and continues as we move in to fall and winter months. Companies worldwide are working to keep employees safe and healthy. Many new safety measures that are in place often slow production. From the harvesting, manufacturing, to packaging, all aspects are taking a little longer. We continue to monitor this trend as it may cause some delays as we move into the end of 2020.

Staffing. Worldwide there are fewer employees entering the workforce in many areas due to health and safety concerns. When staffing levels are low less overall product is produced and could result in product taking longer to get to its destination. Shipping costs have also been increasing as well.

Online purchases. Customers focused on personal safety have increased online shopping habits as we have moved through 2020. Shipping companies like FedEx, UPS, and USPS are busier than usual resulting in additional delays and some increased costs for shipping. As the holidays get closer, we can expect higher charges and surcharges as mentioned above.

Doing our Part. We have adjusted staffing to meet the increased order volume from all of our great customers, and we have kept processing times as low as is safely possible. Our current lead time is about 8 to 10 days. Our goal is to reduce the processing time as we move in the holiday season with additional staffing.

All through 2020 we have done our part to keep our supply chain moving in the right direction, keeping costs contained, and maintaining quality, and adjusting staffing levels to keep orders going out to our customers. In addition to staffing, another key to our success has been increasing our inventory levels on hand so that we continue to have your items in stock.

We are very fortunate to have plenty of space, and our facilities in Conway Arkansas are set up as a very safe, efficient and clean workplace. We have experienced owners and staff members to meet our challenges as we move in to the fall and winter, so that we end 2020 successfully, keep our employees safe, and keep you, our great customers, supplied!

Please do not hesitate to let us know what else you would like us to supply! We are here to support you, and we appreciate the confidence you place in us every day! We will not stop working for you to improve your customer experience. We really appreciate your business.

The team at Chemistry Connection

dba SaveonCitric.com and MakeYourOwn.buzz