A stocking distributor with a massive inventory from 300+ suppliers, Kele can find direct and functional product alternatives.
While annual supplier price increases are typical in most years, 2021 presents unique circumstances due to the escalation of certain raw material costs. Steel prices in particular have been on a consistent rise since last fall. According to industry trade publication The Fabricator, steel prices set a new record in January and are at their highest since 2008. Copper and other metals were also on a steady climb into January, driving other supplier price increases. (These metals have leveled off for the moment according to Metal Miner.)
It remains to be seen how factors from overall demand to the COVID-19 vaccine will affect conditions and thus pricing. In the meantime, manufacturers are passing along these increases to customers. Affected products are across the board with enclosures, dampers, and various piping- and steel-related items being the most impacted.
Kele can help you navigate these supplier price increases and keep your job on track. One benefit of partnering with Kele is our massive inventory as a stocking supplier. We carry parts across 27 product categories from more than 300 suppliers. This includes a broad range of Kele-branded parts.
Here are some tools and steps that will help:
- Find direct and/or functional alternative product recommendations for more than 1,000 parts on kele.com. They will be on the page of the product you are viewing.
- You can also browse accessories, related parts, top sellers, and see what customers also bought with a product on thousands of pages across kele.com
- Use Project Portal to get pricing in seconds for a large list of items or full project BOM.
- Get discounts on large-scale projects. Our inventory position and strong relationships with suppliers often present the opportunity to secure and pass along discounts to our customers.
- Book it now! For large projects or projects with future ship dates, Kele can sometimes lock in the pricing with suppliers for a reasonable but extended period of time.
So call your Kele team or CHAT live on kele.com with a sales or technical service representative for immediate help. They can talk through your project and find suitable options to meet your budget.
