b'Campground Furnishing Suppliers Seeing Orders Pour in Amid Supply Chain Issues F plierswhom Woodalls Campground nBY RON BARGERor some of the campground furniture sup-with Magazine (WCM) spoke with in late Febru-ary, supply chain issues have become a huge concern. Some were actually reluctant to feature products because they did not want the publicity and a potential increase in sales.Dontwriteanythingaboutusthisyear,Allen Smith, of Chadwick Manufacturing, stated frankly. Just forget I am even here at this time. Steel prices are high, and you cant get materials, so its a real mess. There is no point in promoting yourself if you cant pro-duce. We are just servicing our oldest customers at this point in time.Other manufacturers are pursuing high levels of pro-duction with longer lead times created by the supply chain and raw material shortages.The year has gotten off to a fast start for us, said Bob Simonsen, marketing manager for RJ Thomas Mfg. Co. Inc. of Cherokee, Iowa, the makers of Pilot Rock fur-nishings and campground goods. We have been busy all winter with less of the traditional off-season slow-down. We are heading into spring busy in all depart-ments. Our business is starting out so good in 2022 that IveConnect Four is a popular outdoor game man-been running non-stop, concurred Bruce Webster,ufactured by Doty & Sons Concrete Products.president of Lynkris Patio Furniture Inc. out of Sparta, Wis. We just see campground owners spending moresupply issues. We believe consumers have noticed the amazing dollars on furniture for pools and cab- Its not so much the supply chain as the volume ofbenefitsthatcomewithrecycledplasticproducts, ins. It used to be that we couldnt keeporders, said Trosvig. We control our own supply chain,added Pung. Very easy to clean and sanitize are just two reconditioned furniture on hand Nowbut pricing on plywood is very volatile. of the many great advantages and during this time, peo-campgroundownersdontconsiderAt this point, certain aspects of theple needed products that could hold up to harsh clean-the reconditioned unless its for a swimsupply chain crisis show signs of eas- ing conditions.pond. We are also starting to sell moreing, said Spencer Santilli, marketingOther furniture manufacturers are benefiting from of our cushion line for pool cabanasmanagerforJamestownAdvancedthe increase in specialty cabins and glamping accom-and cabins too. Products. We have made significantmodations that many campground owners are adding.2021 was a record year for Pollystrides internally to better prepare forFurniture orders for cabins and glamping structures, Bruce Webster Products and we hope that 2022 willfutureinterruptions. Toaddressthesuch as yurts and tents, have definitely been increasing, follow in its footsteps or even surpass our best everpinch point of limited suppliers forsaid Trosvig. Year-over-year that segment has been year, said Tyler Pung, for the Mullikan, Mich.-basedspecific items, notably purchased partsgreat. firm. January was another record month for us, and itforourtop-ratedpowerproducts,Spencer Santilli Raw plastic shortages in the supply chain were a ben-appears February will be as well. People have acceptedweve taken steps to find direct lines to suppliers. efit for some furniture makers.recycled plastic furniture as their best bet for maintain- We are actively pursuing alternate but equal means2020 and 2021 were real eye-openers for the recycled ing cleanliness and are ordering early knowing leadof certification to ensure that the supply of specific partsplastic industry, stated Pung. The shortages we faced times are long.does not hinge on a single supplier, he added. Weand continue to face forced people to further their edu-Pequot Lakes, Minn.-based Fireside Lodge Furni- hope to have some very exciting news to announcecation on recycling plastic. We believe that recycled plas-tures Director of Marketing and E-commerce Michaelearly in our second quarter regarding lead times. tic products will become even more popular as the Trosvig, shared that business is good following a recorddemand for recycled plastic is projected to grow nine year in 2021. Suppliers Noticing Higher Demandpercent over the next three years.We had a fantastic year, he said. I think thats allAcross a Broader Line of Products But businesses are struggling with labor shortages, around the industry. Our lead times are much longerDemand is strong across all of our product lines,which are expected to continue, he added. We are sure than they normally are, and this year is kicking off thesaid Simonsen. We really arent seeing a particularthe no-maintenance characteristics and longevity from same.trend or stronger than normal demand for any oneour products that results in reduced repair and replace-Since the firm is located close to the source ofproduct line or specific product design. ments are key benefits of our furniture from a staffing wood for its furniture lines, it is not suffering fromEasy-to-clean is also trending. standpoint. BY THE YARD Table features a built-in board for chess or checkers, and doubles as a dining table Game Tables with Comfortable Seating for two. Game pieces not included. www.bytheyard.net/product/cafe-game-table We have been very fortunate over the past 27 years to see growth year over year,60-inch Horizon Bench said Leah Steidl, marketing director for the Minnesota-based By The Yard, which spe- The Horizon Bench is said to provide comfort and elegance to any campground cializes in game tables and comfortable seating. Over the past two years we have seenoutdoor living space without the use of cushions. The contoured seat and flexible a boom in our sales, and we dont anticipatevertical slats on the back of this bench provide comfort, yet it is heavy-duty enough that to slow down any time soon. Our cus- for any commercial application.www.bytheyard.net/product/horizon-bench tomers are continuing to enjoy staying ei- 44-inch Dining Height Square Table ther at campgrounds or simply making theirThe 44-inch Dining Height Square Table is made to match the 60-inch Horizon backyard a beautiful oasis. We also knowBench. www.bytheyard.net/product/44-square-tablethat sustainability is a very real and impor- 952-492-2777www.bytheyard.net tant trend. Our product is made from recy-cled #2 plastics that were landfill-bound. COMMERCIAL RECREATION SPECIALIST She stated that with the high demandRyan Hartberg, CRS vice president of business development, noted that business over the past year, By the Yard has workedis booming for CRS, a company that offers a wide variety of furniture products.on improving its 450-plus offerings. ThreeCRS is busier than ever, he explained. There are some longer lead times on popularproductsincludeBythe Yardsunique or specialized parts/colors, but overall, our vendors have done a great job of Counter Height Caf Game Table, the 60- keeping things moving with only slightly longer lead times. Our outlook for 2022 is inch Horizon Bench and a 44-inch Diningvery strong in public and private sectors. Private businesses are booming with out-Height Square Table.door recreation and there are so many acts and grants available in the public sector. Counter Height Caf Game TableCities and schools are spending like never before. This 28-inch square Bar Height GameThe companys AquaBanas is growing in popularity. 22 April 2022 Woodalls Campground Magazine'