By Karen Hanna
The reindeer that carry Simplay3’s large plastic toys to the homes of good boys and girls are actually cargo trucks and planes. In a year beset by supply-chain disruptions and workforce shortages, the true magic is that they’ll get there at all.
“Though we have seen delays due to some of the challenges on the West Coast, consumers have shopped earlier and diluted the heavier holiday package volume as we approach Christmas,” Marshall Murdough, who heads up Simplay3 Co.’s e-commerce business, said about a week before Christmas. “We are fortunate to be able to offer our customers Saturday and Sunday delivery this year through FedEx’s expanding network and offerings.”
Earlier, in an interview in November, Murdough said the rotomolding company tries to get orders to customers within two days. Based in Streetsboro, Ohio, the company benefits from making and shipping all its products within the country.
“We ship from Ohio, and we don’t have to worry about stuff coming in from overseas, so as a result, I think our products are being picked up daily for our direct consumer business,” Murdough said before Thanksgiving. “And they are being delivered, for the most part, they’re being delivered on time.”
Like many other manufacturers, Simplay3 has wrestled with a host of challenges in the months leading up to the holidays. Packaging and shipping costs are both up.
So are resin prices.
“We are seeing some help in resin prices but are continuing to seek alternatives and work with our suppliers,” Murdough said.
Taken together, it has been a challenging year.
“We’re getting hit with all of this at once. ... But you know, if customers continue to seek our products, we’ve fortunately gotten into a more attractive place, where our brand name is more recognized, so I think we’re rolling with the punches,” Murdough said.
Karen Hanna, senior staff reporter
