A March 26 survey from the Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association asked member companies if they were still operating and 66 per cent of participants said yes.
CKCA’s Executive Director Sandra Wood said they are trying to assess the situation of the industry and offer feedback to members to keep them informed about what’s happening.
Of course with everything changing rapidly and continuously, these numbers could be changing daily, but Wood says CKCA is trying to gather and share as much information as possible during the crisis.
CKCA also regularly supplies members with the latest news and updates from governments.
According to CKCA, the kitchen cabinet industry generates an estimated $1.5 billion in annual sales and employs more than 25,000 Canadians in an estimated 4,000 Sees (small to medium sized enterprises) with the largest of companies employing more than 1,500 employees and the smallest to just 1 employee. Approximately 70 per cent of companies employ fewer than 50 employees.
Wood says she will endeavour to conduct additional surveys periodically.
This was a national survey and as such the different rules and regulations set out by individual provinces impact results.
While the general interpretation (as of April 3) is that only Quebec has completely shuttered construction and related industries (including secondary wood manufacturing) other provinces still allow it, albeit with strict guidelines regarding social distancing and sanitary practices.
However, the supply chain is also seeing some slowdowns now making it difficult for manufacturers that are still operating to source enough material with some supplies already running low.
That situation is being amplified by the fact that many suppliers are Quebec-based and fall under the province’s restrictions.
For more information go to www.ckca.ca
