Shortage of wetsuits and manga as Covid-19 hit by supply chain gridlock

First they grabbed toilet paper and then pasta, but shoppers could be facing an actual shortage of wetsuits and manga comic books as the global supply chain freezes up due to Covid-19

Booktopia founder Tony Nash says Covid-19 has sent the supply chain back 100 years. Picture: Jane Dempster

When Australians rushed the ­supermarkets at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic to strip the shelves of toilet paper and pasta, they thought they were getting ahead of a global supply chain gridlock that would threaten their dignity and dinner.

Turns out they should have hoarded wetsuits and Japanese manga comics instead.

As the virus approaches its ­second Christmas – when Australians are expected to spend more than $11bn on gifts – it is threatening to squeeze the global ­supply chain to choking point.

A shortage of shipping lines, shipping containers, workers at key manufacturing sites – and even the wooden pallets used to shift products from warehouses to the shops – is throwing Australia’s stretched supply lines into chaos. There is a shortage of products that may not have been top of mind for consumers rushing to the supermarkets to fill their ­pantries.

Stores are overflowing with toilet paper, but there is a growing shortage of wetsuits and Japanese manga comics, and graphic novels could soon be difficult to find.

Michael Daly, chief executive of national retailer Kathmandu which also owns iconic global surfing brand Rip Curl, has warned that there are not enough wetsuits in the global supply chain to keep up with demand.

Rio Sotoyama helps wetsuit customer Tina Neige at the Rip Curl store in Manly, Sydney. Picture: Julian Andrews.

“Demand for Rip Curl wetsuits continues to exceed available supply,” Mr Daly told The Australian.

“Wetsuits are primarily a product needed in winter when the water is cooler. More of the demand versus supply issue is quite frankly in the northern hemisphere at the moment as we move into the winter months in North America and Europe and our ability to meet the demand of those markets in the peak trade period.”

Mr Daly said strong demand around the world, combined with raw material factories and end manufacturing operating under capacity restrictions due to Covid-19 was the combination creating the restrictions and longer production lead times for wetsuits. Rip Curl is not bracing for any “major shortage” of gear but there could be pockets of depleted ­supplies in its Australian home market.

“In terms of Australia, we are certainly experiencing longer delivery lead times into Australia, but we are not expecting to have a major shortage of wetsuits for the local market for summer.

“There will always be some exceptions in certain styles and sizes of course.”

Tony Nash – founder and boss of Australia’s biggest online book retailer, Booktopia – said the crippling impact of Covid-19 on shipments and infrastructure had sent the supply chain back 100 years, with importers unable to use planes and relying on ships from the northern hemisphere.

“One of the issues at the ­moment is that graphic novels and Japanese manga cartoon books get printed on a very high quality paper and they get printed in the US – and so because that is such a growing category and ­because there are supply chain ­issues, it is becoming difficult to get access to those books because demand has increased,” Mr Nash said.

US publishing capacity, ­especially for manga and graphic novels, has been degraded by a range of shortages facing that industry such as a shortage of truck drivers and printers, which has conspired to constrict supply and slow down shipments.

This supply shortage is then made worse by the huge demand for graphic novels and manga comics, both in the US and Australia, through lockdowns. The book styles now make up about 30 per cent of all fiction sales in Australia.

“If demand had stayed where it was it probably would have been OK,” Mr Nash said.