Rolling Forward Through Challenging Supply Chain Issues

31 May Rolling Forward Through Challenging Supply Chain Issues

Any business owner will tell you that there are several challenges that can present concern in their successful operation. Everything from hiring the right employees, legal and marketing issues and much more all factor into whether a business succeeds or fails.

Coastal Carts is no exception, and our company’s leaders know that not only surviving but thriving in any kind of adverse business environment is a classic illustration of how only the strong will make it through.

When the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic struck the country, businesses of all types were affected. Manufacturers and suppliers were unable to keep up with providing product, international shipping came to a halt and trucking and rail systems were stagnant, unable to meet their obligations.

Coastal Cart’s CEO, Jerry McTear, points out that this was a test of our resolve and tenacity to keep our business operating and doing everything in our power to meet the needs of our customers.

“Some of our suppliers were affected more than others, and it did create the need to rethink how we ordered and stocked our inventory of new carts and all the hundreds of parts and accessories we offer,” McTear said. Coastal Carts has always stocked a large parts inventory to reduce the time it takes to build or service our customer’s carts and EVs, and the pandemic made that more difficult. McTear added, “In some cases, we needed to actively seek out new sources for some of our parts and accessories – we knew we just couldn’t sit back and wait to see what happened.”

Our cart manufacturers were all impacted by their shortage of parts and components, like chassis and suspension parts used in building carts, resulting in difficulty and delays in getting vehicles on our showroom floor. Delivery of new inventory slowed to a trickle but has now rebounded to levels closer to those before the pandemic.

When Hurricane Ian slammed into the Southwest Florida coastline in September 2022, our business, like almost every other commercial enterprise here, experienced another set of challenges. Getting power restored, repairing damaged facilities, and even just finding gas locally was extremely difficult. McTear is proud of how Coastal Carts rebounded in such adversity.

“We lost fourteen carts in Ian, plus sustained severe water and wind damage to our building,” he says. “Our team responded immediately, using portable generators and their cell phones to return to the shop the following day to make sure our customers experienced as few delays as possible.”

When it comes to surviving any type of adverse business challenge, Coastal Carts knows that putting our heads down and focusing on the future is how we are rebuilding stronger and ramping up the level of service our customers have come to expect in our thirty-plus years of operation.