CALGARY –
The pieces all fit together at StumpCraft Jigsaw Puzzles.
The Calgary-based games maker has seen sales double year over year over the past five years.
“Things are skyrocketing for us,” said founder Jasen Robillard. “We are now preparing for our winter craft markets and this is a big increase that we usually see.”
This year, the company expects an even bigger increase, as everything it needs to make, package and ship its jigsaw puzzles is in Canada.
Most companies cannot say the same at this time, as global supply chain issues are delaying the movement of goods around the world.
Stumpcraft saw it coming.
“We started having issues with our supply chain in March,” Robillard said. “We were having trouble getting our boxes from China (so) we pivoted and bought more local wooden boxes in Ontario, so we localized our production entirely here in Canada and that helps a lot. “
The pandemic closed factories around the world so that for a long time many products were simply not being produced.
It also put a lot of people out of work, leaving companies to recruit and retrain workers as they resume operations.
In addition, the demand may be higher than ever. It is estimated that the average Canadian saved 10 times more money during the pandemic than they normally would during the same period.
Now they are ready to spend it.
“The message is simple,” said Marty Weintraub of Deloitte Canada. “If you want something, buy it now because it might not be here tomorrow.”
As backlogs and bottlenecks prevent products and the necessary materials from getting them into the country, many people suggest following StumpCraft’s lead and sourcing everything locally – but experts say that is. is easier said than done.
“We cannot underestimate the time it takes for the organization to pivot on something that seems very simple,” Weintraub said. “I’ll buy from here instead of buying from there – it’s more complicated than that.”
Meanwhile, StumpCraft says he’s ready for the Christmas rush – he already has 2,000 puzzles in his workshop, ready to be placed under someone’s tree along with the materials to craft thousands more. .
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