Dear Valued Customer,

Ashton Seals Ltd and Ashton Aerospace & Defence Ltd manage global supply chains for a diverse customer base across multiple markets. Since the start of this year, we have continued to feel the effects of ongoing geopolitical developments, including regional conflicts and volatility in the energy market. These factors have driven up processing and operating costs worldwide.
Our supply chain partners in the Far East, as well as our manufacturing partners in Europe and the United States, are all being affected. Recent conflicts in the Middle East and sharp fluctuations in international oil prices have caused significant instability in raw material costs and overall supply reliability. In the past few weeks alone, several of our upstream material suppliers including Zeon, Kumho Polychem, Lanxess, Dow Corning, Shin‑Etsu, Chemours, Solvay, and others  have increased their prices and begun implementing allocation controls on polymers.
This is currently our biggest concern, as further increases in raw material costs are likely and may soon impact the pricing of our rubber products.
Whilst we continue to do everything possible to absorb or mitigate these increases, global events outside the control of our industry will inevitably have an effect.
We encourage you to review your upcoming requirements and speak with us about options to increase stock levels at agreed prices or secure product earlier than usual.
Our intention is not to cause alarm, but to share the information we have so we can continue providing the highest level of service.

Regards
Zoe Fearnley
Managing Director