Chinese New Year lead times: why the next six weeks matter for your projects

If you manage projects or purchasing for remote and critical infrastructure, the end of the year shortens your ordering window more than the calendar suggests. Two shutdowns sit close together: Valen Power’s end-of-year shutdown, from Friday 18 December until we reopen on Tuesday 5 January, and Chinese New Year in February, when our overseas suppliers close and freight slows for weeks around it.

Some items need to be ordered from our suppliers weeks or months ahead, so the cut-off for special orders falls well before Christmas. The exact timing depends on what you’re ordering, so the earlier you talk to us, the more options you have.

Why two shutdowns compound

A standard lead time assumes the supply chain keeps moving. Over summer, it doesn’t. Factories wind down ahead of Chinese New Year (February 2027), freight capacity tightens on either side, and production takes time to return to full output. Add our own December break, and a component ordered too late can miss both the pre-Christmas build and the first production run after Chinese New Year. A few weeks’ delay in ordering can become a much longer delay on site.

Systems: order long lead-time items in the next few weeks

Our power systems, including ModX, V-Trail and Vantara, are assembled and tested by our team in New South Wales. Some of the components inside them, such as inverters, battery modules, solar panels and enclosures, are special-order items with long lead times.

Placing orders for long lead-time items in the next few weeks means:

• components arrive while our NSW team can still assemble and test them before we close on 18 December
• finished systems can be delivered to you before the holiday break, not after it
• projects with site dates in the first half of 2027 aren’t waiting on the first shipments after Chinese New Year.

If your project is still waiting on a design approval or budget sign-off, talk to us anyway. We can help you sequence the order so long lead-time items are secured first, or split delivery so part of a rollout arrives before the break and the rest follows.

Components: stock up now

Batteries, chargers and spares follow the same calendar. If you expect to need replacements between December and March, the safest time to order is now.

You don’t have to take delivery of everything at once. Our inventory management team works with clients to plan stock so it’s there when you need it. That can mean:

• forecasting your usage over summer and the early months of the year
• holding stock for you against an open purchase order you draw down over time
• reserving stock under your account, so it’s ready when you call it off.

Before you talk to us, it helps to know:

• which projects have site dates between January and June 2027
• what you used in batteries and spares over the same period last year
• which sites would cause the most disruption if a replacement wasn’t available
• which approvals or purchase orders are still open and could hold up an order.

Talk to our team

Whether you want to plan stock for the months ahead, or you have upcoming projects that need to be ordered, built and delivered, reach out to our team now. We’ll work through your requirements and timing with you, so the holiday shutdowns don’t hold up your work.