Better to buy directly from Europe!

The supply chains are disrupted again: attacks by the Houthi militia on merchant ships in the Red Sea are currently having far-reaching consequences. Anyone who now buys their cellular rubber or cellular polyethylene from European production has a clear advantage.

The risk: import from Asia

Many shipping companies, including Hapag-Lloyd, MSC, CMA CGM etc., are currently not sending their container ships through the Suez Canal on the way from Asia to Europe for safety reasons. Instead they switch to the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope, with far-reaching consequences. The alternative route extends the journey time of 30 to 40 days by 14 days or even more, depending on the ship and weather conditions. As a result, the containers have been in circulation for longer and are therefore in short supply, as was the case in 2022. Shipping companies are trying to counteract this. They are ordering new containers, deploying more ships and, as an article in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung of February 1, 2024 says, are going “full throttle” and making their ships travel faster. Noticeable impact of the crisis: Freight rates have increased approximately fivefold since autumn 2023. For example, shipping a standard container on the route from Shanghai to Rotterdam currently costs around 5,400 euros instead of 1,000 dollars. Delivery delays due to non-existent containers and longer transport routes are the order of the day.

Is there an alternative? Yes! Made in Europe… Made by KÖPP!

KÖPP currently considers reliable delivery times for imports from Asia to be unrealistic. The consequences of the corona pandemic and a container ship stranded in the Suez Canal have recently shown how susceptible the supply chains are to disruption. “Only those who purchase cellular rubber and cellular polyethylene directly from manufacturers in Europe are on the safe side in terms of constant availability and also receive goods of optimal quality,” says Axel Wynands, Head of Sales and Marketing. It will always remain a risk to become dependent on retailers who do not produce their own products. They source most of their goods from Asia and are therefore very vulnerable to any disruption to transport routes. “An incalculable risk,” adds Wynands. As a manufacturer of cellular rubber and cellular polyethylene, KÖPP, as “Experts in Foam”, has the right material in its portfolio for practically every application - developed at the company headquarters in Aachen, Germany and manufactured under technically excellent production conditions at the 100% subsidiary SC KOEPP Romania.

As a customer you benefit from:

• constant availability,
  
• reliable delivery times,
  
• tested quality (including REACH, RoHS, POP compliant),
  
• very good service.
  

So why take a risk when you can get the right European-made product from KÖPP? Not convinced yet? Take another look at the current insight. Special cellular rubber and find out more about the advantages that KÖPP products offer you.

Any questions? We are happy to answer them at any time. Simply send an email to:nfkppd or call directly at: +49 241 16605 - 0.