Chinese New Year officially begins on February 5th, 2019, and ends on February 19th. Preparations for the New Year begin on January 28th, 2019, and last until New Years Eve (the 4th).
Whilst 2019 is the Year of the Pig and It’s easy to think that Chinese New Year is a long way off – the impact it has on production and delivery stretches to many months beforehand, so you need to hurry if you want your items produced and shipped before the long holiday.
Chinese New Year (otherwise known as the “The Great Migration”) is when all factories in China close for around 4 weeks and the labour force undertake a great migration for a well deserved break with family and loved ones. Aside from this being a logistical nightmare, it also means huge disruption to production lines and likely delays in shipments, simply because people down tools and factories close – regardless of whether they’re midway through your job or not.
What’s more, it’s not just the factories that are affected: production cannot commence until the entire supply chain is operational again. This includes raw material suppliers and trucks carrying goods to the ports.
Get Your Orders in Now!
November is the time to place your orders – particularly if you need sampling to be done, as this can add at least a week to your production timeline. It’s also important to note that you won’t be the only one that is hoping to ‘beat the rush’ so it’s good to get in early and get to the front of the line.
By placing your orders well before late November, you ensure the factory has a full 60+ day lead time before the CNY rush, thus improving your chances of delivery in the early part of 2019..
Place your orders later and you miss the boat – quite literally! If the factory is unable to fulfil your order before mid-January, you’ll be waiting an additional 30-45 days before your shipment can be made which impacts delivery dates in March and April 2019.
Have Questions?
If you’re unsure about timelines for the manufacture of your product leading up to CNY, give us a call on 02 9360 5758 or email hello@inck.com.au and we’d be pleased to help make merchandise easy!
2019 is the Year of Pig – click here for everything you need to know about Chinese New Year in 2019.
