By Scott T. Becker, CEO

2021 was even more challenging than 2020. I don’t think any of us could have imagined the impact of COVID-19 and weather on the global supply chain. We all experienced COVID-19’s rapid spread in 2020, which led to shutdowns of countries and businesses across the globe. As lockdowns lifted, demand returned at a faster pace than many expected while a worker shortage was exacerbated. Complicating this unprecedented occurrence were weather conditions in 2021, such as the deadly deep freeze that hit the central and southern U.S. that shut down petrochemical production for months due to damaged components. Then hurricane Ida forced certain U.S. ports to close, and crude oil production was disrupted as oil facilities had to temporarily shut down. Add in the recent power shortages in China, and the world’s supply chain is in turmoil. This has affected everyone across the globe.  

At Chromaflo, we recognized the importance of being able to react and adapt. 

We set up crisis management teams to weather these situations of uncertainty. The teams have met daily to address material needs, production planning, and customer requirements. These external challenges have been met, not to our satisfaction, but our employees’ passion and urgency to minimize the aforementioned encounters were at the forefront of our everyday effort.

At the same time, we didn’t lose focus on advancing our offerings. In 2021, we introduced close to 500 products that cross the spectrum of customer-specific products, as well as entire new technologies that are designed to simplify customer and market needs. We also tried to visit customers “in-person” when possible, as well attend some trade shows.

A few key technology advancements also referenced in this newsletter include the development of a localized gelcoat tinting system (GTS) in India, and Chromaflo’s new Colorant Explorer mobile app, an interactive tool that provides users with a seamless visual color technology experience. This innovative app allows the user to make the colorant selection process much more efficient which should shorten the time to market for an end-product.

So, we enter 2022 with our ongoing effort to meet your present and future needs and opportunities. We look forward in hope of moving to a more “normal” environment. We certainly have learned much in the past two years, and believe we are even more ready to meet a “new normal,” whatever evolution that may bring to all of us.