I’m sure we’re all well versed with Covid and its impacts, as well as Brexit and the national changes we’ve all had to embrace as we all strive to return to a working normal, but the added complication of the China chip shortages are mixing up quite the cocktail of problems for the IT supply chains we all source IT equipment from, resulting in considerable increases in hardware prices as well as extending stock source and supply timings much further than we’ve ever had to deal with before.
With a surge in demand thanks to a change of purchase habits following on from the pandemic has left the supply of semiconductors at an all time low, reaching what is being referred to as a crisis point. From car manufacturers to technology production giants, every major player of the Tech Supply channels are impacted by these chip shortages and we’re noticing a lack of comprehension of how this impacts the SME market from an IT perspective. The two largest changes the chip shortages bring are availability and pricing.
We previously were able to source a new pc/laptop following notification of a new starter at a client’s place of business within a 48 hour window. Our suppliers supply chains, let alone our suppliers themselves are warning that stock availability, and restock options are getting worse and yet to settle to a new norm, expected to worsen for the next 6 months and to last for at least 2 years before returning to providing turnaround of orders within timeframes we’ve all grown complacent with. So please take a moment to consider your expansion plans for the coming years, are you planning to open a new branch office or strengthen your team with new faces? Now is the time to be considering the hardware you’re going to need in the future. Don’t risk new staff sat at an empty desk with no laptop to work from when you can source a spare now!
Secondly, we need to warn you all of pricing. Its no surprise that there will be an increase in costs but let’s take a moment to understand where its coming from. Dell, HP and are openly publicising that they’re being charged more for production of their laptops and they’re not about to swallow the costs, in fact they’re forwarding the costs on.
If you’ve got old tech slowing you or your workers down, if you anticipate a spurt of growth or if you’re trying to prepare your IT environment for Windows 11, we can start looking now for affordable hardware that best suits your business needs. You can reach us here.