Games Workshop is back to having shipping issues right as China starts to lock down again; perhaps they could learn a thing about supply chains from this…
While the pandemic led to all the shortages over the past few years, companies like Games Workshop could learn a thing about supply chains and logistics from this video.
Update: If you haven’t read our articles about the current release delays and out-of-stock issues at Games Workshop in 2022, you can below:
- Just When You Think it’s Safe to Order Warhammer 40k Again…
- Hobbyists Frustrated With GW Being Sold Out of Everything
The problem is it looks like China’s manufacturing hubs are again shutting down (including the site of the world’s first COVID outbreak in 2020), which will lead to many problems, not just for tabletop miniatures companies.
Games Workshop Shipping Delays & China Locks Down Again…
This interesting video uses some different examples that really have nothing to do with miniature wargaming companies like Games Workshop, but the info inside is good about how supply shortage was really created during and shortly after the pandemic. Even as more people were spending money online, game companies were unable to keep up with demand (seemingly still now in the case of Games Workshop).
This was really a perfect storm of circumstances. So we’re not saying the companies are fully to blame. There is just some interesting information in this video that companies like Games Workshop could use to help keep their supply chains open and products rolling out to consumers.
So, what could companies in tabletop wargaming learn from this? Hopefully, some long-term planning to keep supply flowing and not focus only on the short term and appeasing shareholders. While these style of companies operate their revenue streams based on the most recent releases, in the long run, they will continue to suffer until they understand how to plan for the long term when managing their supply chains.
Games Workshop Could Learn a Thing From This Video
As we said, if you look at a company like Games Workshop, for example, they may not have allowed a nurturing environment for a resilient supply chain to grow. Thus, when they had to pivot due to COVID, they did not have the plan in place to actually change things up.
This led to constant shortages as they did not have anything ready outside of the short-term plan they currently had. The main reason for this, you can impress shareholders with short-term gains, but it will hurt the long-term supply chain.
Something like COVID quickly brought this to the forefront.
Supply chain disruption is basically unavoidable. But since most game companies do not want to keep anything on hand more than they currently need. With a ruthless pursuit of short-term gains, there is basically no chance for them to meet demand when any sort of disruption occurs.
What Can Games Workshop do to Avoid Supply Chain Issues?
The main point of the video is to focus on a resilient supply chain that does not focus fully on appeasing the shareholders and getting those all-important quarterly profits.
If the companies would stock more products upfront, be willing to lose a little for a single quarter, and actually set up for the future, the supply would be far greater.
With the constantly increasing demand for products, the companies would not only make more money in the long run but also make more customers happy. We understand this is hard, but supply disruptions are bound to happen with the way the world is right now.
The ready and capable companies will prosper, plus we want to be able to get our plastic minis!
Just something interesting to think about as Games Workshop seems to keep having delays on their products each week and numerous shipping issues late into 2022…
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What do you think about Games Workshop having shipping issues and weekly delays again?
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About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures. Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including the Adepticon Team Tournament and American Team Tournaments, and is on a first-name basis with almost every major company in the space.
He’s all gaming all the time. With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. He advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1908s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
