Are shortages or disruptions industry-wide or supplier specific?
Fluoride additives are produced by several manufacturers, and it is not common for all the suppliers to be negatively impacted equally when production problems occur. Consequently, one group of water treatment facilities may have difficultly obtaining fluoride products from one supplier while other facilities in the same area may have a sufficient supply. Water treatment facilities often contract annually with the lowest bidder for chemicals and supplies. Some larger systems will negotiate multiple contracts with two or more suppliers, agreeing to purchase some minimum quantity of fluoride even at a higher cost so that if shortages or disruptions with one supplier occur, some fluoride can still be obtained from another source. If you are contracting with a local supplier of chemical additives, identify the national distributor furnishing the fluoride for that supplier it may be possible to contract with different regional suppliers or different national distributors.
