Supply Chain – Finding Opportunity in Disruption
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The familiar story over the past year, and especially the past six months, has been the difficulty for manufacturers getting components and materials to build machines and equipment. The supply chain shortage has made the “go to” component manufacturers and suppliers have lead times that extend beyond what our customers require for production.
There are multiple challenges in finding alternate suppliers. We have relationships with current suppliers and vendors. We’re familiar with the parameters, capabilities and features of the equipment we typically specify. The largest resource we expend with finding alternates is time.
Options
Alternatives are also more difficult to source than normal. OEMs and suppliers are in the same situation, trying to get components to build their machines. One approach is to find manufacturers that may not be as established in manufacturing. Some have managed to keep up production to have components ready to ship.
Opportunity in Disruption
After getting through the initial shock of slow rolling product unavailability we had to look at ways to provide our high level of product design and development with brands outside of our preferred list. We have been able to find newer manufacturers that appear to be a good replacement. As a result, they may even go into regular service when most of the disruptions have passed.
Downside of Disruption
Finding alternatives to equipment and components we’ve become accustomed to using is mainly time consuming. A special point of frustration is finding a component that meets spec and has good lead time, only to find it has gone to a two month back order when starting to purchase.
Our original components are selected based on optimizing features, performance, and price. When looking for an alternative, the replacement may include features that go beyond the requirement of the project. This may make it come in at a higher price because of the additional features. But it’s in stock, and for a project with a short lead time, that becomes the driving factor.
Emerging More Robust
At the end of this process, we find that we’re aware of more options for our standard components. Some components we can substitute, but still have preferences for our original choices. In other cases, we have been able to make new partnerships and find new business opportunities.
Through it all we are committed to providing thoughtful solutions for harvest processing that meet our high standards for quality, safety, and reliability.