What The Computer Chip Shortage Means For You
If you’ve tried to buy anything recently you’ll have noticed shortages everywhere… empty shelves at the supermarket and 9 month wait times to buy a kids’ BMX or a PS5… It’ll be no surprise this extends to chipsets used to manufacture workplace technology. There’s a number of factors impacting this – let’s unpack them.
Explained: The Computer Chip Shortage
Also referred to as the semiconductor shortage, computer chips of some shape and form are in countless electronics we use every day. If it’s got a screen, it’s probably got at least one chip, and plenty of screen-less items will house them as well.
Most semiconductor chips are produced in Asia, the first part of the world to slow down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the rest of the manufacturing world pushed ahead, the availability of semiconductor chips dried up and hasn’t been able to catch up yet. This was exacerbated by the increase in demand during the pandemic for household items that require semiconductor chips, such as televisions (for example).
Effects On Businesses & Workplaces
The chip shortage has already affected businesses all over the globe, and in turn, their customers. In business, the shortage has led to a bottleneck in manufacturing, which has seen delivery times blown out. The chip shortage will continue to affect businesses in different ways depending on the industry they’re in. However, slower delivery times are a common factor faced by any company looking to update their hardware in the current climate.
For consumers, delivery times have been a concern as well. Global shipping delays have extended the wait further, while a lack of in-store shopping throughout the pandemic has eased some of the strain on retailers.
What It All Means For You
How the chip shortage affects you depends almost entirely on the line of business you’re in. For example, technology producers are feeling the brunt of the extended delivery times on the chips themselves, while individual businesses looking to roll out new tech or update parts of their existing systems are experiencing the delays further down the chain, passed on to them by the manufacturers themselves or their technology vendors.
What You Can Do About It
The global chip shortage sounds like the end of the world, but it doesn’t have to be. Planning ahead and partnering with the right supplier means you can avoid the worst of it and still get your projects moving forward.
Engagis is uniquely positioned to deliver AV and meeting room solutions, even in the midst of a global shortage. Thanks to our close relationships with top-tier vendors and smart, pre-emptive stock building, we can beat most typical wait times and have stock on hand that will suit several applications. We currently have a limited stock of conferencing solutions, which we can provide on notice.
For more on Engagis’ work with a range of tech, contact us today.
