How The Strait Of Hormuz Logjam Is Causing Chaos For Medical Suppliers

Gentell, a Pennsylvania-based medical supply company with $270 million in annual revenue and approximately 1,000 employees, is experiencing serious disruptions to its business operations as a result of the Iran war and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The company, which supplies medical bandages and dressings to roughly 5,000 U.S. nursing homes and long-term care facilities, sources raw materials from 18 countries and operates six manufacturing facilities.

The conflict has driven up costs significantly across Gentell's supply chain. Petroleum derivatives used in their products and petrochemicals used in packaging have contributed to an overall 24-30% increase in production costs. A specific example cited by CEO David Navazio showed a single dressing rising in cost from $0.35 to $0.50 to produce. Ocean shipping costs have also more than doubled — a container from New Zealand to California, for instance, jumped from $2,000 to $4,500. Trucking costs have similarly soared due to diesel prices rising over 50% in the past year, reaching over $5.90 per gallon in Pennsylvania at the time of filming.

Gentell has faced a series of supply chain shocks over the past decade, including the COVID-19 pandemic (which prompted a move of some manufacturing from China to Toronto), volatile tariff environments, and now the Strait of Hormuz crisis. The company is currently experiencing shipping delays of several weeks on containers from China and is bracing for further price increases from Chinese suppliers.

The ripple effects extend well beyond Gentell. The Iran war is also causing price hikes in fertilizers, jet fuel, aluminum packaging, and helium for semiconductors. Fertilizer producers warn that sustained disruptions could eventually raise global food prices, given that nitrogen fertilizers feed roughly half the world's population. Oil and gas byproducts are ingredients in over 6,000 consumer products. By one estimate, the Iran war has already cost global companies over $25 billion.

Navaizio indicated that Gentell plans to raise prices for its business customers, who will likely pass those increases further down the supply chain to end consumers. The company's largest single customer is the U.S. federal government via Medicare. Navazio expressed hope that oil prices would normalize once the conflict ends, but acknowledged that if disruptions persist, price increases are inevitable.