It seems as soon as we recovered from COVID-era bottlenecks, along come tariffs, source-country shifts, and sudden quarry and factory disruptions that can spike prices overnight or take a reliable spec option off the board entirely.
Volatility is here to stay. Zonda’s Todd Tomalak has noted that the past five years produced 50% more outlier price-swing periods in building products than the prior 50 years cumulatively—an environment where even “stable” finish specs can change midstream.
Thankfully, some suppliers are responding with deeper inventory positions, clearer early-warning communication, and strategies that help builders protect schedules during midstream market changes.
Prioritizing backlogs
Tile and stone are especially vulnerable because so much of the category is global, natural, and design-driven—three factors that magnify volatility. Arizona Tile has always prioritized a depth of inventory, which was critical during COVID and has continued to be important so builder backlogs stayed protected even when supply tightened—an effective strategy that continues today.
Prioritizing existing commitments is the most builder-friendly move, helping sidestep a whole host of problems. Tile and stone live late in the schedule, when drywall is up, trades are stacked, and closings are looming. A surprise substitution can trigger redesign approvals, re-selection, and rework—exactly when there’s the least slack.
“One thing we take very seriously is our ability to supply a backlog on a daily basis,” says Jeff Hechtle, Arizona Tile’s national account manager.
Putting early warnings in motion
Inventory solves one set of problems. Information flow solves another.
Hechtle says that when his team spots a disruption, he picks up the phone and calls every builder partner—no mass email. He shares updates top-down: corporate first, then divisions, then the field, so leadership hears it directly and early, instead of finding out after the news has already surfaced on a jobsite and worked its way up the chain.
That top-down approach mirrors how builders actually operate: Corporate sets policy, divisions execute, and the field needs clean direction. When the supply partner respects that chain, builders can adjust faster.
Forecasting to meet demand
Tile ordering is challenging to forecast because builders usually don’t place purchase orders themselves—subcontractors do—making demand harder for suppliers to predict even when construction is steady. Suppliers benefit most from builders who share simple, forward-looking forecasts. Even imperfect monthly forecasts provide early visibility, helping suppliers plan inventory, identify constraints sooner, and keep projects moving smoothly as selections turn into orders.
Maintaining Global Visibility
Earlier intelligence helps reduce last-minute pivots. Suppliers that maintain direct relationships in key sourcing regions—and routinely check in on quarries, factories, and shipping conditions—can spot risks sooner and adjust before schedules get hit. Just as important: keeping samples aligned with what will actually ship, so the material approved in the field matches the product that arrives for installation as closely as possible.
With offices in Italy, Southeast Asia, Brazil, and India, Arizona Tile keeps teams close to the source—tracking production conditions, spotting issues early, and responding faster when the market shifts.
Learn more about how Arizona Tile is helping builders stay on schedule with deep inventory, early-warning communication, and backlog-first support.