Kaua‘i contractors navigate supply chain disruptions

Laurel Smith of The Garden Island wrote:

LIHU‘E — Construction is booming on Kaua‘i, but snags are complicating the workflow.

“I’ve never seen it so busy,” said Mike Nishida, general manager at the Kaua‘i branch of Alpha Electric. “Lately, it’s been a lot of new residential going up.”

New construction should mean big business for the electrical supply company, however, before Nishida can get materials out to contractors, he has one big problem to solve: how to keep shelves stocked with major supply chain disruptions happening globally.

“I could get 200 breakers tomorrow, and they will be gone as soon as they arrive,” Nishida said.

Just about every sector of the construction industry is feeling the disruption on Kaua‘i.

“Everything (is delayed), from cabinets to windows and just all kinds of random things that you would never think of,” Tyler Rodighiero, co-owner of Pac Build said in a recent interview. “Appliances are 12 months out. When I start a house, I have to order the appliances first thing, which is not normal at all.”

Even the most basic materials are sometimes hard to find.

“It could be something as simple as screws and nails,” said Jason Berry, owner of ProBuilt Hawai‘i Roofing and Rain Gutters. “Just the other day, we were trying to get some copper nails and our supplier was out.”

Material shortages are causing some delays in construction, but suppliers and contractors are adjusting, with some financial costs.

ProBuilt Hawai‘i Roofing and Rain Gutters transitioned one of their staff members to work as a purchasing agent 30 hours each week. They have also been ordering supplies in bulk and increased warehouse size to make sure commonly used materials are there when they need them . . .