首页 500强 活动 榜单 商业 科技 领导力 专题 品牌中心
杂志订阅

受劳动力短缺和供应链危机的影响,今年美国独立日的烟火表演可能取消

Christine Mui
2022-07-01

美国的许多地方连续第三年没有烟火表演,以前没有烟火表演与健康有关,现在则与经济相关。

文本设置
小号
默认
大号
Plus(0条)

供应链问题可能会导致当地的烟火表演取消。图片来源:GETTY IMAGES

目前来看,劳动力短缺和供应链危机都不再是新闻。在这场持续到第三年的新冠疫情期间,劳动力短缺和供应链危机改变了美国的经济面貌。

但现在,持续的劳动力短缺和供应链问题开始重塑美国独立日的庆祝活动。

在独立日周末之前,持续的劳动力短缺和供应链问题迫使全国各地取消了公共烟花表演。许多地方连续第三年没有烟火表演,以前没有烟火表演与健康有关,现在则与经济相关。

美国烟火协会(American Pyrotechnics Association)在今年4月的一份备忘录中警告烟花行业,要为“充满挑战的季节”做好准备。该协会的执行董事朱莉·赫克曼报告称,通货膨胀已经将整个行业的烟花公司的全国成本推高了35%以上。

“随着该行业为前所未有的需求和独立日庆祝活动的后疫情时代全面复苏做准备,它能否经受住持续的供应链危机以及成本上升和通货膨胀带来的经济影响呢?”赫克曼问道。

作为回应,城镇发出了不确切的信号,许多城镇未能及时获得烟花和请到烟火专家,因而取消了独立日的烟火表演。

由于工作人员短缺和附近公园施工,明尼阿波利斯市将不会在密西西比河上举行传统的独立日红色、白色和繁荣的烟火庆祝活动。

在萨克拉门托,加州博览会(Cal Expo)的组织者表示,该博览会今年将放弃举办一年一度的烟花表演,理由是“人员和资源短缺造成了意想不到的困难”。由于“新冠疫情对供应链的持续影响”,在对面的海岸,马里兰州的科利奇帕克取消了独立日的烟花表演。

6月初,菲尼克斯表示,由于供应链问题,该市无法获得专业级别的烟花,将不会在独立日举办三场大型烟花表演。

“不幸的是,就像许多其他城市一样,菲尼克斯也受到了持续的供应链问题的影响。该市的承包商无法为这些活动确保烟花供应。”该市的公园和娱乐助理主任马蒂·惠特菲尔德在一份声明中说。

美国专业烟花表演中使用的几乎所有烟花都是在中国制造的。在她的备忘录中,赫克曼指出,劳动力、保险、原材料、运输等成本均有增加。运输成本的增长尤其显著,美国烟火协会估计,每个集装箱的运输成本从2019年的8000美元至1万美元飙升到目前的约4.5万美元,导致烟花的总成本飙升50%。

美国烟火协会的会长斯蒂芬·佩尔基说:“很多烟花公司都在处理一些非常棘手的问题,包括人员配备,甚至一些供应链问题。如果你是一家小公司,一年只引进几个集装箱,那就相当于你的盈亏底线和利润逐渐缩小,甚至还会侵蚀一些运营成本。你无法再引进产品了,因为你无法从经济角度证明这笔费用是合理的。”

佩尔基还是新英格兰最大的专业烟花表演公司Atlas PyroVision Entertainment Group的首席执行官。尽管该集团流失了10%至12%的训练有素的技术人员,但佩尔基表示,该公司避免了因为人员短缺而取消在东北部的任何表演活动。

他说:“一年前,我们与很多客户和潜在客户进行了非常频繁的沟通,告诉他们我们将出现人员短缺的情况,将减少约15%的工作人员。如果他们有投标或报价流程,他们就需要在传统时间之前约9到10个月完成相关流程。”

但在美国人口更加稀少的地区,比如中西部和西南部地区,烟花公司往往需要长途旅行来安排烟花表演,增加了运输成本。

佩尔基的公司无法为菲尼克斯提供服务,他解释称:“你唯一的选择就是使用该地区的任何一家地区性公司。你可以发现燃料成本从每加仑2.50美元涨到每加仑6美元。作为一家企业,我们必须在政策上做出一些非常必要的改变,并根据交货时间表重新规划路线,以确保我们优化到最少里程。”

区域竞争导致亚利桑那州的小城镇也调整了他们的烟花表演。愉悦湖村(Lake Pleasant)在宣布取消一年一度的湖边烟花庆祝活动时提到了“烟花供应短缺”。由于“全国烟花和烟火专家短缺”和“制造问题”,喷泉山(Fountain Hills)在原定的节日很难找到供应商和足够的工作人员,因此将演出时间提前至7月1日。在奥罗谷(Oro Valley),激光灯光秀将取代传统烟花表演,因为“供应链问题导致该镇有执照的州烟花经销商的库存不足”。

佩尔基说,他预计供应链问题最终会“自行解决”,甚至可能会在明年的独立日烟花表演前解决。

“例如,我们已经发现远洋船只的费用下降了约10%。当你谈到过去一年到一年半时间里 350%的涨幅时,这仍然不算多。”他说。“我认为,到2023年第一季度或第二季度,我们将开始看到运输费用的新常态,大约是现在的一半。”(财富中文网)

译者:中慧言-王芳

目前来看,劳动力短缺和供应链危机都不再是新闻。在这场持续到第三年的新冠疫情期间,劳动力短缺和供应链危机改变了美国的经济面貌。

但现在,持续的劳动力短缺和供应链问题开始重塑美国独立日的庆祝活动。

在独立日周末之前,持续的劳动力短缺和供应链问题迫使全国各地取消了公共烟花表演。许多地方连续第三年没有烟火表演,以前没有烟火表演与健康有关,现在则与经济相关。

美国烟火协会(American Pyrotechnics Association)在今年4月的一份备忘录中警告烟花行业,要为“充满挑战的季节”做好准备。该协会的执行董事朱莉·赫克曼报告称,通货膨胀已经将整个行业的烟花公司的全国成本推高了35%以上。

“随着该行业为前所未有的需求和独立日庆祝活动的后疫情时代全面复苏做准备,它能否经受住持续的供应链危机以及成本上升和通货膨胀带来的经济影响呢?”赫克曼问道。

作为回应,城镇发出了不确切的信号,许多城镇未能及时获得烟花和请到烟火专家,因而取消了独立日的烟火表演。

由于工作人员短缺和附近公园施工,明尼阿波利斯市将不会在密西西比河上举行传统的独立日红色、白色和繁荣的烟火庆祝活动。

在萨克拉门托,加州博览会(Cal Expo)的组织者表示,该博览会今年将放弃举办一年一度的烟花表演,理由是“人员和资源短缺造成了意想不到的困难”。由于“新冠疫情对供应链的持续影响”,在对面的海岸,马里兰州的科利奇帕克取消了独立日的烟花表演。

6月初,菲尼克斯表示,由于供应链问题,该市无法获得专业级别的烟花,将不会在独立日举办三场大型烟花表演。

“不幸的是,就像许多其他城市一样,菲尼克斯也受到了持续的供应链问题的影响。该市的承包商无法为这些活动确保烟花供应。”该市的公园和娱乐助理主任马蒂·惠特菲尔德在一份声明中说。

美国专业烟花表演中使用的几乎所有烟花都是在中国制造的。在她的备忘录中,赫克曼指出,劳动力、保险、原材料、运输等成本均有增加。运输成本的增长尤其显著,美国烟火协会估计,每个集装箱的运输成本从2019年的8000美元至1万美元飙升到目前的约4.5万美元,导致烟花的总成本飙升50%。

美国烟火协会的会长斯蒂芬·佩尔基说:“很多烟花公司都在处理一些非常棘手的问题,包括人员配备,甚至一些供应链问题。如果你是一家小公司,一年只引进几个集装箱,那就相当于你的盈亏底线和利润逐渐缩小,甚至还会侵蚀一些运营成本。你无法再引进产品了,因为你无法从经济角度证明这笔费用是合理的。”

佩尔基还是新英格兰最大的专业烟花表演公司Atlas PyroVision Entertainment Group的首席执行官。尽管该集团流失了10%至12%的训练有素的技术人员,但佩尔基表示,该公司避免了因为人员短缺而取消在东北部的任何表演活动。

他说:“一年前,我们与很多客户和潜在客户进行了非常频繁的沟通,告诉他们我们将出现人员短缺的情况,将减少约15%的工作人员。如果他们有投标或报价流程,他们就需要在传统时间之前约9到10个月完成相关流程。”

但在美国人口更加稀少的地区,比如中西部和西南部地区,烟花公司往往需要长途旅行来安排烟花表演,增加了运输成本。

佩尔基的公司无法为菲尼克斯提供服务,他解释称:“你唯一的选择就是使用该地区的任何一家地区性公司。你可以发现燃料成本从每加仑2.50美元涨到每加仑6美元。作为一家企业,我们必须在政策上做出一些非常必要的改变,并根据交货时间表重新规划路线,以确保我们优化到最少里程。”

区域竞争导致亚利桑那州的小城镇也调整了他们的烟花表演。愉悦湖村(Lake Pleasant)在宣布取消一年一度的湖边烟花庆祝活动时提到了“烟花供应短缺”。由于“全国烟花和烟火专家短缺”和“制造问题”,喷泉山(Fountain Hills)在原定的节日很难找到供应商和足够的工作人员,因此将演出时间提前至7月1日。在奥罗谷(Oro Valley),激光灯光秀将取代传统烟花表演,因为“供应链问题导致该镇有执照的州烟花经销商的库存不足”。

佩尔基说,他预计供应链问题最终会“自行解决”,甚至可能会在明年的独立日烟花表演前解决。

“例如,我们已经发现远洋船只的费用下降了约10%。当你谈到过去一年到一年半时间里 350%的涨幅时,这仍然不算多。”他说。“我认为,到2023年第一季度或第二季度,我们将开始看到运输费用的新常态,大约是现在的一半。”(财富中文网)

译者:中慧言-王芳

Neither the labor shortage nor the supply-chain crisis are exactly news at this point. They have changed the face of the American economy throughout the pandemic stretching into its third year.

But now their persistence is starting to reshape America’s July 4th celebration.

Ahead of the July 4th weekend, ongoing labor shortages and supply chain issues have forced the cancellation of public firework displays across the country. It’s the third year in a row that the night sky will stay dark for many places, but where previously the dark Independence Day was health-related, now it’s a function of economics.

The American Pyrotechnics Association warned the fireworks industry in an April memo to brace itself for a “challenging season.” Inflation has driven up nationwide costs for firework companies by over 35% across the entire industry, reported the association’s executive director, Julie Heckman.

“As the industry prepares for unprecedented demand and a post-pandemic full recovery in Independence Day celebrations, will it be able to weather the ongoing supply chain crisis and the economic impact of rising costs and inflation?” Heckman asked.

Towns and cities are sending a shaky signal in response, with many failing to obtain fireworks and pyrotechnicians in time and canceling their Independence Day displays.

Minneapolis’s traditional Red, White and Boom celebration displayed over the Mississippi River will not be held as a result of staff shortages and construction in a nearby park.

In Sacramento, Cal Expo organizers say the event will forgo hosting its annual fireworks show this year, citing “staffing and resource shortages that have created unexpected difficulties.” And on the opposite coast, College Park, Maryland has canceled its July 4th fireworks due to “COVID-19's continued impact on the supply chain.”

Earlier June, Phoenix said it would not hold its three major July 4th fireworks shows because supply chain issues prevented the city from acquiring professional-grade fireworks.

“Unfortunately, much like many other municipalities, Phoenix has been affected by the ongoing supply chain issues. The City's contractor was unable to secure fireworks for the events," its Parks and Recreation Assistant Director Marty Whitfield said in a statement.

Nearly all fireworks used in U.S. professional displays are manufactured in China. In her memo, Heckman noted increases in costs for labor, insurance, raw materials, transportation, and more. An especially dramatic increase was seen in shipping costs, which skyrocketed from $8,000 to $10,000 per shipping container in 2019 to roughly $45,000 a container and caused the overall cost of obtaining the fireworks to shoot up by 50%, the APA estimated.

“A lot of these fireworks companies are dealing with some very tough issues as far as staffing and even some supply chain issues,” APA President Stephen Pelkey said. “If you're a small company that only brings in a few containers a year, that’s literally all of your bottom line and all of your profits, even eating into some of your operational costs. You’re no longer able to bring in those products because you just can't financially justify the expense.”

Pelkey is also CEO of Atlas PyroVision Entertainment Group, the largest professional fireworks display company in New England. Though the group has lost 10% to 12% of its trained technicians, Pelkey said it avoided canceling any displays in the Northeast from staffing shortages.

“We communicated very, very often with a lot of our customers and potential customers a year ago that we were going to run short of staff, we're going to be reducing our availability of crews by about 15%,” he said. “If they have a bidding or quoting process, they needed to do it about nine or 10 months before their traditional time.”

But in more sparsely populated regions of the country, like the Midwest and Southwest, companies often have to travel long distances to set up displays, increasing their transportation costs.

“Your only options are to use any regional company that will be in that area,” Pelkey said, explaining his company could not serve Phoenix. “You see fuel costs going from $2.50 a gallon to $6 a gallon. As a business, we had to make some very necessary changes in policies and reroute our delivery schedules to make sure that we optimize the least amount of mileage.”

Regional competition has led smaller Arizona towns to adjust their displays as well. Lake Pleasant referenced “a supply shortage of fireworks” when announcing its annual fireworks celebration at the lake has been canceled. Fountain Hills moved up its show to July 1 after a “national shortage of fireworks and pyrotechnicians” and “manufacturing issues” made it difficult to find a vendor and enough staff for the original holiday. In Oro Valley, a laser lights show will replace the traditional fireworks because of “supply chain issues causing a lack of inventory from the Town’s licensed state fireworks distributor.”

Pelkey said he expects the supply chain issue to eventually “work itself out,” maybe even in time for next year’s displays.

“We've already seen, for instance, ocean vessel charges come down about 10%. It's still not much when you talk about a 350% markup over the last year to 18 months,” he said. “I think by the first or second quarter of 2023, we'll start to see a new normal for shipping charges, which will be about half of what it is now.”

财富中文网所刊载内容之知识产权为财富媒体知识产权有限公司及/或相关权利人专属所有或持有。未经许可,禁止进行转载、摘编、复制及建立镜像等任何使用。
0条Plus
精彩评论
评论

撰写或查看更多评论

请打开财富Plus APP

前往打开