Casting lead times jump from 15 to 24 weeks as supplier delays spread

LMA Consulting Group: Supplier delivery times are at their longest since 2022, according to S&P's Purchasing Managers' Index — and supply chain consultant Lisa Anderson says the slippage shows up across her client base with no connection to the Strait of Hormuz disruptions. One industrial equipment maker saw casting lead times jump from 15 weeks to 24 with little notice; a food and beverage manufacturer can't get product on time even with weekly-updated delivery dates.

Anderson, who runs Claremont-based LMA Consulting and heads the supply chain association ASCM's Inland Empire chapter, points to rising demand and supply chain reconfiguration as the drivers. Her prescription: feed suppliers material-specific forecasts, translate demand into supply requirements, and get firm ETAs into production and revenue planning.