From zippers to glass, shortages of basic goods hobble U.S. economy – Reuters

From zippers to glass, shortages of basic goods hobble U.S. economy – Reuters

FLETCHER, N.C., Sept 13 (Reuters) - For Lauren Rash, it’s the little things that have snarled production at her tent factory here, like the many shades of black Velcro.

Her company, Diamond Brand, just launched a new line of high-end wall tents called the Liminal, thick with vents and fasteners demanded by discerning campers. But that means using lots of Velcro. And that’s a problem, because black Velcro comes in many shades, depending on the type of raw plastic resin used to make it.

“If I have older stock and put it with new,” the colors won’t match, said Rash. “Black is not black is not black.”