MacLellan Rubber tracks impact of Red Sea shipping crisis

Wolverhampton, UK – MacLellan Rubber expects its stockholding and collaborations with European materials suppliers to buffer it from issues created by recent military developments in the Middle East.

In particular, escalating military action in the Red Sea has prompted shipping companies to re-route vessels around the Cape of Good Hope, noted MacLellan in a statement 19 Jan.

As a consequence, the UK rubber compounder says shipping-costs have “more than doubled in recent weeks”, with transit time increasing by as much as four weeks.

However, events of recent past – including Covid-19 and the blockage of Suez Canal by a ship grounding in 2021 – have led the company to significantly increase stock-holdings of raw materials.

The increased stock levels, it added, ensure that the company can absorb such shocks within the supply-chain and continue to meet customer demands.

In addition, MacLellan Rubber said it continues to work with its European supply partners to further bolster supply of essential materials, including fluoroelastomers and silicones.

The Wolverhampton-based compounder said its “robust stock levels and a strong supply-chain will result in minimal impact for material availability”.

However, the compounder went on to advise that it would always urge customers to place orders “in plenty of time”.