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Supply-chain issues are pushing out lead-times and raising prices

Unfortunately, the supply chain issues plaguing technology, and other, industries did not abate over the summer…in fact they only worsened.
Product shortages continue across the board leading to the following issues:
  • Lead-times on many brands continue to be pushed out.
  • Manufacturers have poor visibility on the physical locations of their inbound shipments.
  • Cost increases continue for all manner of products, both in the form of vendor price increases and various freight surcharges.
supplychain-issues
So HOW can you possibly plan? Right now, we’re telling customers the following:
  • If you need complete room systems – those including control systems, AV over IP solutions, etc. – lead times are currently 9 to 12 months, so it’s time to start planning your summer 2023 projects!
  • If you need systems that involve ceiling microphones, lead times are currently about six months, so it’s time to plan any work you hope to have done in early 2023.
  • If you only need simpler, sound-bar-type systems, you can expect to have that work done in Q4 of this year.
LightWerks continues to employ a number of strategies to provide the best possible availability in the industry to our customers, but please keep in close touch with your LightWerks representative to plan work as early as possible. In the meantime, thanks very much for your patience!
Lead-times are now reaching into next year for many key brands, and some have shared that they will continue to be constrained through all of 2022. LightWerks is employing a number of strategies to provide the best possible availability to our clients, but we need your help in two ways:
  • Please do your planning and make your buying decisions sooner than usual so you can get your orders placed as soon as possible, and
  • Please continue to share as much information with us as soon as possible, so we can help our vendors respond to your needs.
Strategies to Mitigate the Supply Chain Impact
In order to help mitigate the effects on your institution, we recommend the following:
  1. Stay close to LightWerks and your other vendor partners to stay up to date on the latest developments.
  2. Expect delays and prepare contingency plans for dealing with the potential that implementations – especially those that involve multiple construction trades, like new construction – may not be able to be completed per your original, hoped-for deadlines.
  3. Finalize your decisions, and place orders with your vendor partners as soon as possible.
  4. Be prepared to accept product substitutions if we learn that certain products are totally unavailable, but that other similar products might have better availability.
  5. Unfortunately, prepare for rising prices on pretty much everything across the board, whether it is electronic or otherwise. Expect short-term fees for basic shipping materials which are also in very short supply.
  6. Share future plans with our personnel as well as manufacturers with whom you may be in direct communication. The more they know that you will need product in the near future, the more likely they will be able to allocate product to your project and advise the factory on future production needs further out into the future.
Finally, it is our expectation that these supply issues will persist into 2022. You can count on us to update you as things progress, but please share as much information back to us as possible.
Like every other challenge, we will all get through this one…together.
LightWerks has a wide range of audio/visual solutions which include multiple monitors, projector and screen, web conferencing, total control systems and integrated audio & video.
Contact us at LightWerks today or fill in the form below for more information on what we can do for you or your organization!
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