What do 62 cargo ships waiting to berth off the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach mean to the average business? If you don’t purchase supplies from an offshore location, you may not think it means much. But regardless of whether you purchase labels from a domestic or international source, the 13,640,000 ton backlog of fully loaded container ships serve as a visible reminder that lead times and costs are increasing for a broad spectrum of supplies. And when those are the items you need to ship your products, identify IV lines, instruct medication usage and operate your business, supply outages are not an option. But there are ways to mitigate these issues. Take these 5 steps to minimize label cost increases and avoid shipping delays.