Ambulance Deliveries Affected by Global Supply Chain Issues

Global shortages of semiconductors and other vehicle components are creating major challenges and scheduling uncertainty within the automotive industry, and ambulances are no exception. All ambulance manufacturers are making frequent schedule changes as they react to volatile supply of everything from chassis to plastic components. Microchip shortages are expected to run into 2022.

This supply chain crisis has prompted congressional action and received extensive press coverage. Detroit’s WDIV Local 4 News segment highlights how the shortage is affecting Ford F-150 deliveries, and the same story applies to almost all models and OEMs.

Kodiak Customers Affected – Lead Times & Pricing

Some of Kodiak’s customers are being affected by this issue and we have been communicating new completion estimates to everyone as the ambulance OEMs give us information. For orders that were targeted for later in the year, it is challenging to give a good estimate of completion because of the uncertainty of the chassis semiconductor issue and continued planned shutdowns by the chassis suppliers.

Along with chassis delays, Ambulance builders are also seeing parts price increases coming for almost all suppliers and they have told us to be prepared of the increases to be passed onto us as soon as August 2021.


Recommendations

We are hopeful that the chassis shortage will be resolved in the coming months, but some industry commentators expect problems to continue into 2022. For our customers, we recommend the following:

  • For customers with ambulances on order, be in contact with your dealer and get an estimate of when your ambulance will be delivered, but be prepared for that estimate to change as the chassis and parts shortages change (could be sooner or later). While we see most deliveries being moved out, some are being moved up due to that unit’s particular chassis availability.
  • For customers anticipating ordering a new ambulance soon, we recommend taking action as soon as possible in order to avoid upcoming price increases and to budget for the delivery of your ambulance around 300 days from the date of order (this will decrease as chassis and parts shortages correct themselves).
  • If your ambulance needs allow you to purchase a “demo” or “stock” ambulance, now may be the time to look at current inventory. If you are interested in Kodiak’s current inventory of stock ambulances, it can be found here on our website. If you do not see anything that meets your needs, please contact us and we can work with other ambulance dealers throughout the United States and search their inventory.

More Updates Here:

Ambulance Lead Time Update

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