The phrase "a supply crunch" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a situation where there is a shortage of a particular product or resource, often leading to increased prices or scarcity.
Example: "Due to the pandemic, we are experiencing a supply crunch in the semiconductor industry, affecting the production of various electronic devices."
Alternatives: "a supply shortage" or "a supply deficit".
"We knew there would be a supply crunch," Mr. Grover said.
Older ranchers are straining to build up herds, holding back breeding females from slaughter and thus compounding what retailers say is already a supply crunch.
The imminent closure of dirty coal plants (between a third and half will have to close by 2015) and old nuclear power stations threatens a supply crunch.
Many experts currently speak of a supply crunch by 2012, while others consider the risk minimal as new mines become operational.
In a recent report, it warned of a "supply crunch" if oil supplies fail to keep up with the pace of growth in demand.
Britain faces a supply crunch over the coming winters as nuclear reactors age and coal plants are forced to close by 2025.
The deal will not make a difference to gas prices or consumer bills in the short term, as the first deliveries are not expected until September 2018 at the earliest, but in the longer term the tanker imports may help to ease any supply crunch, similar to that seen in the last few days.
This, it said, presented a short-term challenge, with the possibility of a temporary supply crunch in 2015, but with sufficient investment any shortfall could be covered.
Risks to the outlook include 1) a commodity supply crunch or geopolitical shock that leads to a sustained rise in commodity prices and 2) an earlier than expected global economic recovery.
Meanwhile, oil prices, which had been down earlier in the week, spiked higher on Wednesday afternoon after being down 0.6% in the morning due to an unexpected supply crunch because of a decrease in weekly gasoline supplies and a decline in refinery runs.
Crude futures drifted lower Thursday, extending steep declines that came as the U.S. government reported a surprise increase in stocks of oil and distillates, allaying fears of a winter supply crunch.
