04-23-2020, 03:55 AM
My understanding is that except for the surge in mid-March, it hasn't been about hoarding.
Demand for consumer-grade TP is up 40%. People are working from home and eating at home and using the john at home.
Resources for stuff like TP are limited. Demand is ordinarily seasonal and measurable (roughly 141 "standard" rolls per year per person which works out to around 50 "normal" sized rolls per person) and you can't just double production out of nowhere for a 40% rise in demand. Long before this coronavirus they were already running most factories well into the night if not 24hrs.
The facilities were split between consumer and commercial TP (which are two very different products) and commercial lines can't just be converted to consumer lines. Commercial rolls are bigger and won't fit the dispenser in a home.
There's also a growing problem of source-material. The lumber industry is slow due to lack of construction and paper mills work off of the wood chips from lumber mills. The mills are running extra shifts where they can (supposedly focusing on the products that are most easily produced, so your triple-ply ultra-soft plush quilted mega-rolls may be hard to come by), but it all comes to a stop if they can't get materials.
And there are logistics issues due to reduced transportation resources. Truck stops are closed. Regional warehouses are on reduced staff.
The virus takes its toll on production. Proctor and Gamble revealed recently that their largest plant in PA had to shut down equipment for cleaning after a handful of employees tested positive.
Finally, there are labeling issues. It turns out that stuff meant for consumer sales need specific labels/barcodes and stuff made for bulk commercial use will have the wrong labels. Can't just slap a new label on a few million palettes of toilet paper to sell through grocery chains, even if they'd fit the dispensers.
Now here's the kicker: The production lines are already working at max capacity. So long as people are isolating at home, this may go on for a long time to come.
Demand for consumer-grade TP is up 40%. People are working from home and eating at home and using the john at home.
Resources for stuff like TP are limited. Demand is ordinarily seasonal and measurable (roughly 141 "standard" rolls per year per person which works out to around 50 "normal" sized rolls per person) and you can't just double production out of nowhere for a 40% rise in demand. Long before this coronavirus they were already running most factories well into the night if not 24hrs.
The facilities were split between consumer and commercial TP (which are two very different products) and commercial lines can't just be converted to consumer lines. Commercial rolls are bigger and won't fit the dispenser in a home.
There's also a growing problem of source-material. The lumber industry is slow due to lack of construction and paper mills work off of the wood chips from lumber mills. The mills are running extra shifts where they can (supposedly focusing on the products that are most easily produced, so your triple-ply ultra-soft plush quilted mega-rolls may be hard to come by), but it all comes to a stop if they can't get materials.
And there are logistics issues due to reduced transportation resources. Truck stops are closed. Regional warehouses are on reduced staff.
The virus takes its toll on production. Proctor and Gamble revealed recently that their largest plant in PA had to shut down equipment for cleaning after a handful of employees tested positive.
Finally, there are labeling issues. It turns out that stuff meant for consumer sales need specific labels/barcodes and stuff made for bulk commercial use will have the wrong labels. Can't just slap a new label on a few million palettes of toilet paper to sell through grocery chains, even if they'd fit the dispensers.
Now here's the kicker: The production lines are already working at max capacity. So long as people are isolating at home, this may go on for a long time to come.