Pasha Hawaii’s roll-on/roll-off vessel Marjorie C PHOTO COURTESY PASHA HAWAII
Supplies Flow on the High Seas
Despite uncertain times, shipping and transportation companies maintain steady deliveries of materials to Hawaii’s contractors and suppliers BY DAVID PUTNAM
B
uilding material shipping delays caused by the coronavirus—and wildfires on the West Coast—have forced suppliers to find ways to keep their warehouses stocked to meet contractors’ needs. The Aloha State, however, has been luckier than most, as transportation companies Pasha Hawaii, Matson Inc. and Young Brothers LLC have maintained steady routes to the Islands’ ports. “Throughout the spring and summer of 2020,” says Adrian Murphy, Adrian Murphy vice president of products and logistics at HPM Building Supply, “there has been strong demand for building and home improvement products. We have been in close communication with our suppliers so that we can maintain our inventory and ensure that the materials our customers 14 | BUILDING INDUSTRY HAWAII | NOVEMBER 2020
need are readily available. “The situation with every supplier is different, as the effects of the pandemic and the details of stay-at-home orders vary by state and are constantly changing. We have proactively taken steps to increase our stock levels on key items in order to safeguard against extended lead times, and we have sought out additional suppliers for products with limited availability.” Making sure those materials are readily available to Hawaii builders and suppliers are the ocean freighters. “One industry, in particular, that has remained steady is the construction industry. Construction materials and equipment continue to flow on a steady George Pasha IV basis, as compared to the first half of 2019,” says George Pasha IV, president and CEO of Pasha
Hawaii. “The state and federal governments have been prudent in their efforts to continue providing funding for public-awarded contracts as a way of supporting our economy. “Once the state implements its COVID-19 pre-travel testing program for visitors arriving in Hawaii, and the new leadership is able to effectively manage Hawaii’s COVID-19 cases,” Pasha adds, “we will see the economy start to stabilize, easing a lot of the uncertainties that currently exist.” Vic Angoco, Matson’s senior vice president, Pacific, says “it’s safe to say that we’re all feelVic Angoco ing the effects of a slowing economy and the added challenges presented by the pandemic, but we all know how important the supply chain is to our communities and, as an industry, we are focused on maintain-
