Protecting customers from global market conditions with strong supplier relationships

Whilst each customer is different, there’s one thing they all have in common.

No one PCB layout is exactly the same as the next. And no one customer’s requirements are the same as another’s. Every customer’s needs are different. One thing is for certain though – no one wants to be told they have to wait an age for urgent PCBs.

And with electronic grade copper foil, with the purity of 99.7%, being key to printed circuit board fabrication, a global shortage of copper foil would most definitely severely inconvenience many of our clients. Delays in supply could interrupt our clients’ supply chain and result in lost business.

Our close supplier relationships help us to identify exactly these kinds of issues before they begin to affect ourselves and our clients. It was one of these close supplier relationships that alerted us early on to the likelihood of a global supply issue for copper foil.

Why the shortage in copper foil?

In recent years, the demand on copper foil manufacturers has risen. Copper foil has become more widely used as the negative electrode collector of lithium-ion batteries in products such as notebooks and PCs, mobile phones and even hybrid-electro vehicles.

Mobile phones, laptops and PC sales are increasing, and as the automotive industry seeks to produce greener vehicles, the demand for lithium batteries is growing. The lithium battery market is expected to rise from US$29.68 bn in 2015 to US$77.42 bn in 2024. With this growth in lithium-ion batteries, comes a higher demand for copper foil, across the world.

Our close relationship with one of our copper foil suppliers made us aware of this issue, enabling us to stockpile copper foil to cushion ourselves and protect our clients from the knock-on effects of this global shortage, such as extended lead times and break in supply.

Why nurturing relationships pay dividends

Once we have selected our suppliers we nurture a long-lasting relationship with them to help us stay close to the market and protect our customers from market issues. By working with Garner Osborne, our customers can benefit from these close supplier relationships, and the way in which we can use them to safeguard and protect our customer’s supply chain. 

We work directly with a copper foil manufacturer, who takes the copper out of the ground and then processes it themselves, meaning we have a strong relationship with a consistent and reliable source, regardless of how the copper market changes. A prime example of how smart careful selection of supplier helps to protect our customers and their supply chain.