Music Trade Review

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THE MUSIC TRADE REVIEW, OCTOBER, 1H0
Piano Shortage
Inevitable
for the Holidays, Unless Dealers Make Fall
Commitments at This Time, Say Manufacturers
Whether the piano dealers throughout the country lose additional profits this fall
and during the holiday season will depend largely on their ability to anticipate
their requirements immediately, according to manufacturers who in spite of a full
working schedule throughout the summer find themselves pressed to the utmost
to meet the present demand. The cause for this has been that although practically
every manufacturer geared up his plant during the summer to work up stock for
fall consumption the demand nearly kept pace with production. The result is that
little surplus stock is on hand and in many plants night shifts or overtime work has
been in order. The Review, two monihs ago, drew attention to the possibility of
just the condition which the trade is now experiencing. This was before the con-
vention at which time the dealers were urged to place orders for fall when at
the convention. More orders than formerly were taken by manufacturers but the
great majority were for immediate delivery. With the steady demand increasing for
pianos these shipments have practically been liquidated with the result that new
quotas have had to be set up by both dealers and manufacturers. All manufacturers
assert that in no fall for a number of years has it been so imperative for dealers to
order now. Reasons for this are given by manufacturers themselves as follows:
CYRIL FARNY,
Vice President and Manager,
DeKalb Division, Rudolph Wurlitzer Co.
VERY year manufacturers have urged
E
piano dealers to place their orders
early in order to avoid the possibility of
being without an adequate piano stock
to meet the holiday business. Some of
these appeals were justified, and some
of them were not,
and for this reason
I hope that this year
when the capacity of
every single manu-
facturing plant in the
industry is being
taxed to the limit,
dealers will not con-
sider the manufac-
turers' •warning as
W. G. HELLER,
be called upon to ship approximately just another cry of j
President of Winter & Co., New York
75,000 instruments. Although most fac- 'wolf-wolf, and really
yn
ar y
take heed, because
"
N no year since the revival of the tories have been running full time during during the Fall of 1940 a good many
the
summer
endeavoring
to
prepare
for
piano business has it been more
dealers in this country will wish that they
imperative that dealers should figure up this situation the business has almost kept had anticipated the increased business
their requirements for the balance of the abreast of production with the result that and put in a larger stock early in the
year and place their orders now. We manufacturers will be taxed to the ut- season."
all know that from 46% to 50% of the most even with overtime schedules to
L. P. BULL,
meet the demand. For these reasons I
total annual ship-
Vice President, Story & Clark Piano Co.,
say
it
is
imperative
that
dealers
antici-
ments are made in
*
Chicago, III.
pate their requirements right now."
XX
the last four months
-"N the last four months of 1939 the
of the year. A study
combined factories in the industry
of production figures
ARTHUR HAHN,
operated close to capacity. In the very
proves this conclu-
President, Krakauer Bros., New York
nature of piano manufacturing, produc-
sively. For instance,
tion cannot be materially increased in a
M
i"PHE situation confronting us at the short space of time. The percentage of
in 1937 the produc-
-L moment is very little different from additional demand
tion was 106,009 of
the usual Fall demand save for the fact for this year, which
which 42,015 was
that it shows a wholesome increase over already exists, makes
shipped in the last
the previous two or three years. We are it inevitable that the
four months of the
W. G. Heller
having great difficulty in making prompt manufacturers will
year; in 1938 the
total production "was 89,504 of which shipments of our
have great difficulty
42,731 was shipped in the last four months various models
in filling orders and
of that year; in 1939 total production was owing to sudden
the probabilities are
114,043 of which 52.671 was shipped in and increased re-
that an acute short-
the last four months of that year. More quests for same.
age will exist during
"Every y e a r
would have been shipped had it been
the peak season.
possible for manufacturers to have done we try to get our
Ordering now will
L. P. Bull
so but when the year was over 3425 units Dealers to antici-
without a doubt
p
a
t
e
and
thus
were held for later shipment. This was
prove beneficial to dealers as well as
a considerable increase over the number avoid the irrita-
manufacturers."
tions created by
of holdovers the year before.
retarded deliver-
ROMAN DE MAJEWSKI,
Director of Wholesale Sales,
"During the first eight months of this ies, but those
Steinway & Sons, New York
Arthur Hahn
year 74,861 instruments have been suggestions com-
" rPHERE are many reasons why a dealer
shipped. This means that in the last four ing from us are usually discounted as
•L should have an adequate stock of
months of this year manufacturers will l Strong-Armed-Sales-Talk.'"
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