Current Supply Status

Last year’s demanding winter, combined with mine repairs, labour shortages, and an ice storm in late spring, resulted in a shortage of bulk salt. As predicted, the mines’ obligations to municipalities have posed a challenge by reducing or eliminating salt allocations to private contractors.

For over 25 years, Draglam Salt has been working tirelessly to supply contractors with the bulk salt and deicers they need to keep people safe. Despite this season’s unique challenges, we currently have the most bulk salt supply in the private contractor market at the most competitive pick up price.

As we continue to bring in deicing salt from alternative sources, logistics and transportation costs continue to rise. We encourage you to pick up and store as much bulk salt as your facilities allow. This will ensure you are well supplied if the price increases and/or supply diminishes.

We are committed to navigating this challenging season ahead and look forward to being your supplier of choice for bulk salt, bagged salt and environmentally-friendly deicers.

Be Prepared.

The salt supply shortage has persisted and we are continuing to source bulk salt from alternative suppliers. We anticipate this season to be busier than normal, so we’re taking extra steps to speed up wait times at our scale houses. New for the 2018/2019 season, it will be mandatory for all pick-up customers to present their Salt Card™ at the scale house in order to pick up salt. To ensure that we prioritize our loyal customers this upcoming season, only customers who present a Salt Card™ will be served.

To secure supply and mitigate this industry-wide shortage, Draglam Salt has sourced bulk salt from unconventional sources all over the world. We have performed thorough testing on all variations of rock salt, but all the product testing we’ve done can’t replace common sense. It’s important to take extra precautions to protect your equipment:

- Never leave salt in your salter.
- Wash your salter more often throughout the winter to keep the salt from building up.

If you need a Salt Card™ or have questions about your salt supply this season, contact your Account Manager or call 416.798.7050.

DRAGLAM SALT GETS A FRESH LOOK

We’re excited to share that Draglam Salt has undergone an entirely new look. Following the rebranding of our parent company, G&L, updating of the logo created almost 15 years has given Draglam Salt a fresh new look.

Each of G&L’s sub-brands was assigned its own key brand colour, drawing upon the natural elements that inspire the products. Draglam Salt is light blue, representing winter. These colours help to easily identify the brand at a glance, and carve out a more distinct brand presence.

Furthering this was the creation of each sub-brand’s individual icon, based upon G&L’s legacy round logo, but modernized to convey each brand’s unique product offering. Draglam Salt’s icon is made of small squares to convey the cube structure of rock salt when seen under a microscope. The icons serve as another method to unify all brands under the G&L umbrella while creating a unique pattern distinct to each sub-brand. Our goal with this rebranding was to create something enduring that would appear contemporary today, yet be timeless enough to last throughout the next decade. We’re extremely happy with the result and look forward to rolling out our new look.

Salt Supply Challenge

This upcoming season is shaping up to be one of the most challenging winters yet. A multitude of factors are leading to a supply shortfall. Here’s what we know today:

• Last season was a demanding winter. Precipitation was consistent throughout the winter and an unexpected ice storm in April spanned several days which depleted most stockpiles throughout North America.

• A labour dispute at one salt mine led to a 3-month strike. This labour shortage has undoubtedly affected the amount of salt allocated to the landscape and commercial markets.

• Another mine is undergoing significant repairs, leading to production delays which affect the supply available to our commercial market.

• The US market is contributing to Canadian supply issues due to the strong American dollar which is directing supply away from the Southern Ontario market.

What does this mean for you?

• Draglam Salt has taken every effort to secure salt for this coming season. However, salt from unconventional sources inevitably comes at a higher cost. We are doing our best to find efficiencies and have been working throughout the summer to secure supply.

For another perspective on the salt shortage, visit https://horttrades.com/salt-inventory-shortage-prepare-yourself-and-your-customers.

At Draglam Salt, we know that salt is essential to ensure safety, and we take our responsibility seriously. We encourage you to pass on this update to your customers and communicate with them regularly to ensure they are aware of the situation.

We are committed to navigating this challenging season ahead with the support of our suppliers and customers. In the coming weeks, you’ll find out more about the status of the market supply, the look and feel of rock salt from all over the world, and the prices you need to secure contracts.

We look forward to partnering with you to conquer Winter 2019.

Sincerely,

The Draglam Salt Team