Specialty Fabrics Review November 2021 - 34

WHERE TO LOOK?
When it comes to skilled
labor, tent manufacturers and
rental companies agree-
supply is down and demand
is up. Fred Tracy, owner of
Fred's Tents & Canopies Inc.,
shares some ideas about
where to look to fill those
labor gaps.
" Police officers, corrections
officers and firefighters
are usually on a 20-year
retirement plan so they're
often retiring in their 40s, and
are very knowledgeable and
fit-and could be great crew
leaders or manufacturing
leads. Also, people who
have fallen on hard times
and are coming out of the
system might need a job. I
would check churches and
corrections facilities for
recommendations. Refugee
populations are often in need
of work as well. "
For many tent rental companies, installing drive-in COVID-19 testing sites such as this one by
Mutton Party and Tent Rental helped fill at least some of the gaps created by canceled events.
Photo: Mutton Party and Tent Rental.
we have been working actively for a
number of years to create more worklife
balance for our team. We have
been implementing policies for a few
years to slowly minimize weekend
work, after-hours installs and create
more predictable schedules, " says Matt
Mutton, president, owner and general
manager of Mutton Rentals, Fort
Wayne, Ind. " 2020 really put us ahead
on that goal as there just wasn't as much
work to do. When annual events came
back around in 2021, we just explained
the new policies and that tearing all
of a client's stuff down at 6 p.m. on a
Saturday was no longer something we
could offer. It has been amazing to see
how much flexibility people have with
scheduling when you tell them 'no.' "
SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES
" I think manufacturers would all agree
that one of the hardest things we've had
to deal with through 2021 is allocating
supplies, " Tracy says. " Steel went up 300
percent and aluminum is more than
double what we were paying a year ago.
34 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / November 2021
" A sheet of plywood we use to build
a door crate went from about $18
to $54 at its highest, " he continues.
" Cardboard went up. Skids went
up 50 percent. Those are increases
you don't necessarily think of in
manufacturing but you need them
to get product out the door. "
Beyond increased prices, lead
time and availability are also factors
affecting the supply chain-and most
tent and event rental companies have
begun over-ordering and ordering
early. " We typically order linens
almost weekly based on overbookings
two weeks out, " Mutton says. " After
a few hiccups in the spring we made
the decision in June to order every
overbooked linen needed for the
entire year. We also implemented new
procedures for finalizing head counts
and numbers with our clients. "
Select Event Group began fabricating
some of its own products. " Our team
here is also resourceful in overcoming
obstacles and were able to find the
equipment we needed at every turn, "

Specialty Fabrics Review November 2021

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