As the doors open on 2024 we’d like to wish everyone all the very best for the new year, and extend a big thank-you to our customers for their unwavering support over the last twelve months. The past year has certainly had its moments! We all know that 2023 has not been without its challenges, and so looking forward I thought it might be useful to share some brief insights on the issues we see impacting business this coming year – and importantly, just how we can try to mitigate against any problems. Firstly, military conflicts around the world look set to continue dominating an unpredictable global landscape and will almost certainly further compound material supply shortages. On top of this, factors such as the essential monitoring of threats associated with climate change will also likely affect product supplies. In fact, demand for speciality metals used in everything from infrared cameras and drones, to night vision goggles and observation satellites will probably very quickly outstrip supply. Unfortunately, this inevitably means that material delivery lead times from other suppliers will get longer… and longer. But here at NiCoFe, we previously identified many of the factors that are going to create supply issues in 2024 and have taken some positive steps to ensure our customers are able to access the materials they need, when they need them. By bolstering our supply chain and sourcing products from trusted partners in countries such as France, Germany and China, we’ve been able to dramatically increase our stockholding of UK-certified, premium quality materials. So now’s the time to get your orders in! We have more very exciting plans for this year to help make sure we stay ahead of the game and continue to give our customers a competitive advantage. These plans involve further considerable investment in people, facilities and processes, so make sure you tune-in to our website blog every month to stay in touch with all the latest developments as the year progresses. Checking back regularly also means you keep updated on current topics and news stories like the EFINEA merger – and of course you’ll never miss out on the best offers and deals! In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss an order, or with any questions and technical queries – we’re always here to help.