Manufacturing disruption

As a valued Crystal customer we want to set out the current situation in respect of our product supply.

Firstly, we apologise for the disruption that you are currently experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.  We would also like to emphasise that it is our understanding that this is the case across the whole industry.

In line with Government guidance our systems house, Epwin, were forced to suspend production for 8 weeks.  This is a crucial period of the year when essential stocks are built up for the forthcoming busy season of July - November.  Once operations commenced they have experienced demand which is above their expectations and historic norms, this still has not settled and the acceleration of demand has seen stocks depleted even with their plant running at current maximum capacity. 

Epwin have added additional labour, expanded shifts and ordered additional equipment, but we are still experiencing significant disruption and delays, and will do for the next few weeks.  Our systems house have invested heavily in state of the art equipment and are in the fortunate position of being able to invest further in stocks, infrastructure and equipment to support us all through this unusual period.

Epwin have also unfortunately been affected by the lack of raw materials.  Due to an external power outage their supplier of PVC-U has been unable to manufacture and supply will be severely disrupted in the near future, but they are working hard to mitigate the situation.

As the impact of Covid-19 builds by the day, supply chains are being significantly disrupted and businesses’ rights and obligations under contracts are coming into sharp focus. The force majeure clause within our Terms and Conditions of Sale can be viewed by clicking here.

We are literally doing everything that we can, as fast as we can, in order to minimise any supply disruption.  For over 30 years we have weathered many storms, but we are customer focussed and will continue to work extremely hard to fulfil your orders as soon as possible.

The entire Crystal team are working hard to keep the business moving in the right direction and  we thank you once again for your patience and understanding.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Question 1:  Why is my delivery delayed?

The entire industry is feeling the strain of this unexpected and unprecedented upturn after a complete closure due to COVID-19. Many of our suppliers are now advising us that they too are struggling to keep up and that we should expect further supply disruption going forward.

Our profile supplier and Crystal had to close for 8 weeks in line with Government guidelines, therefore profile and products were not manufactured (usually during this period the profile supplier builds up stocks ready for the busy July to November demand - and hasn’t been able to do this).

Our profile supplier expected that levels of demand would go back to normal by now but this hasn’t happened.  They have employed more people, put on extra shifts and ordered additional equipment to try and cope.

The company who supply the systems house with raw material has had power problems in their factory and they have been unable to supply PVC-U to make the profiles causing more delays

Question 2:  Will I be compensated?

We are sorry but we do not compensate customers if products are not delivered due to circumstances beyond our control. If we were able to receive the profile from the manufacturer’s then we would have been able to deliver your products to you.  Please visit our website to see our Terms & Conditions of Sale for more information (click here)

Question 3:  When will I get my re-scheduled delivery?

Our processing and manufacturing teams are working as hard as they can to ensure you receive your products as soon as possible.  This is naturally dependant on raw material supplies into our profile supplier, profile availability and future sales volumes - all of which are unknown entities at this time.  

All products will be manufactured in date order and you will be contacted by the team asap.

In the interests of being totally open and transparent, and from the information we are receiving from within the supply chain, we do envisage a few more bumpy weeks ahead. We would, therefore, urge you to consider your own lead times and supply commitments.

We are literally doing all that we can, as fast as we can, in order to minimise any supply disruption.

Thank you once again for your patience and understanding