Delays in materials or components can grind your production to a halt—and cost far more than just time. This article breaks down four practical strategies that real-world manufacturers are using right now to stay ahead of disruptions. If you’re tired of being stuck waiting for parts, these tips can help you take back control and keep your production line moving.
1. Don’t Rely on One Supplier—Build a Backup Plan
Depending on a single supplier for critical parts is a risk most manufacturers don’t fully recognize until it’s too late. It might seem efficient in the short term, but one delay—just one missed shipment—can throw off your entire schedule. And if you’re running tight production windows or have committed delivery dates with customers, that delay could ripple into lost revenue, overtime costs, or even cancelled orders.
The solution? Build a backup plan before you need it. That means identifying at least one alternate source for any part that could hold up production if delayed more than a few days. You don’t necessarily need to split orders between vendors right away—but know who your fallback is and what their capabilities are.
Here’s a simple, real-world example: imagine a Midwest manufacturer making specialty metal frames for industrial machinery. They rely on a supplier in Asia for precision-cut aluminum rails. When the supplier suddenly ran into export delays, the manufacturer couldn’t fulfill three major jobs and had to idle one assembly line for nearly two weeks. After that painful lesson, they started working with a domestic secondary supplier. The cost per unit was about 12% higher—but they now use that vendor as a standby when overseas delays pop up. They haven’t had a production stop since.
If you’re worried about cost, think about it this way: what’s the price of lost production time, missed deliveries, or unhappy customers? Backup sources aren’t an optional luxury—they’re insurance against the very real risk of supply chain volatility.
Here’s a practical way to get started: take your top 10 highest-impact components—the ones that would stop production if you didn’t have them—and do a quick backup supplier search. Even if the second source isn’t perfect, knowing they exist (and reaching out to get quotes and timelines) puts you way ahead of most businesses.
And one more insight: don’t just look for copies of your current suppliers. Sometimes your backup might not be a supplier at all—it could be a machine shop that can produce a version of the part on short notice, or a regional distributor that can access surplus inventory others don’t know about. Flexibility is key.
2. Use Safety Stock the Right Way—Not the Costly Way
There’s a reason “just-in-time” inventory is losing favor. It’s not because the idea is broken—it’s because reality has changed. Lead times are longer. Shipping is less reliable. And surprises hit harder. But that doesn’t mean you should swing to the other extreme and overstock everything either. There’s a smarter way to use safety stock.
Start by focusing on the parts that matter most. Not every item needs a buffer. What you want to identify are the components that are both high-risk (long lead time, inconsistent delivery) and high-impact (they stop production if they’re not on hand). That’s your safety stock priority list.
Here’s a hypothetical but very realistic scenario. A small plastics manufacturer in Indiana was experiencing regular delays on just one type of resin that was used across multiple product lines. Every time it was late, they had to reshuffle schedules, delay shipments, and eat the cost. Their first instinct was to start buying extra of everything to avoid the problem. That got expensive fast.
Instead, they looked at actual data—when parts were arriving, how late they were, and how often. They realized it was just that one resin causing the issue. They began keeping an extra three-week supply of it on hand and reviewed lead times every month to adjust. The rest of their inventory stayed lean. As a result, they eliminated most of their stockouts without bloating their warehouse or tying up too much cash.
The insight here is simple but powerful: safety stock works best when it’s based on real data, not gut feel. And it works even better when it’s targeted, not across the board. Updating it monthly—not once a year—keeps your buffer aligned with today’s actual supply performance, not yesterday’s assumptions.
So if you’re currently either hoarding inventory or constantly running out, the problem isn’t safety stock—it’s how you’re calculating and applying it. Start with your top five trouble parts and build a better buffer plan just for those.
3. Shorten the Distance—Local Where You Can, Even If It Costs More
It’s hard to beat the unit price from overseas vendors. But if a shipment gets stuck at a port, caught in customs, or delayed by geopolitical disruptions, that price savings evaporates. Fast. Distance adds fragility.
That’s why more manufacturers are rethinking where they source key materials—especially the ones that are essential for keeping production moving. The idea isn’t to localize everything. It’s to identify where long-distance sourcing is creating operational risk, and find ways to bring just those items closer to home.
Take this hypothetical example: a manufacturer in Texas that makes HVAC components was regularly sourcing electrical switches from Asia. They were cheap and generally reliable—but once delays started stretching from 4 weeks to 8 weeks, the entire operation got squeezed. Labor had to be rescheduled. Orders were late. Morale dipped. The business ended up finding a supplier in the U.S. who could deliver in 5 days. The per-unit cost went up by 15%, but they were able to cut downtime dramatically—and avoid expensive overtime and last-minute scrambling. The result? Total operating costs actually went down.
That’s the real takeaway: the cheapest part on paper isn’t always the cheapest part in practice. When you factor in the cost of delays, rescheduling, and reputation damage, closer can be better—even if it looks more expensive at first glance.
A good rule of thumb: look at parts that are regularly late or have long lead times. Ask yourself what a 10-day delay costs you. If it’s more than the cost difference of switching to a closer supplier, it’s worth making the move.
4. Work Closely with Suppliers—Don’t Just Place Orders, Share Info
Here’s a truth that gets overlooked: vendors are people too. And in times of uncertainty, they prioritize customers they trust and communicate with. If all you do is send purchase orders and chase updates, you’re just another name in the queue. But if you’re sharing forecasts, asking about their constraints, and keeping a regular rhythm of communication, you move up that priority list.
Think of it like this—if a supplier gets 10 rush orders and only has capacity to fill 5, who do they choose? The customer who hasn’t checked in for months, or the one who they talk with every other week and who gave them a heads-up three weeks ago?
A packaging business in Michigan (hypothetically) ran into this issue during a cardboard shortage. After a couple painful delays, they started having monthly check-ins with their main suppliers. Nothing fancy—just short calls to share upcoming volume, changes in product mix, and ask how things looked on the vendor’s side. That tiny shift changed everything. One supplier began proactively warning them of incoming delays and helped them reorder sooner. Another even started reserving stock for them before other orders came in.
The practical insight: strong vendor relationships aren’t about long lunches or price negotiations—they’re about transparency and consistency. You don’t have to be best friends with your suppliers. But if they know what you need, and you understand what they can and can’t do, both sides win.
You can start with a simple move: pick your top two or three suppliers and schedule a 15-minute call this week. Not to complain—just to share what’s coming and ask what they’re seeing. You’ll be surprised what that opens up.
3 Actionable Takeaways You Can Use This Week
- List your 10 most delay-sensitive parts and find at least one alternate source for each—even if you don’t place an order yet. Knowing your options is better than scrambling under pressure.
- Review actual lead times for your top five problem parts and adjust safety stock accordingly. Start tracking those lead times monthly to keep your buffer accurate and lean.
- Call one key supplier this week. Ask what they’re seeing in terms of supply chain risks, and let them know your upcoming needs. That simple conversation could save you a future delay.