SUPPLY ROUND TABLE INDUSTRY.
in an unpredictable market may carry higher risk than before. I think that this has made us slightly more risk averse compared to before Covid-19. HB: Historically, we ordered back-to-back. With 30 vendors and multiple product lines, we can’t keep stock of everything. However, we’re now starting to keep certain items in stock that we’re confident we’ll need – particularly storage and audio products. Unfortunately, we can’t stock high-value items if we don’t have the pipeline for them, so these will always only be ordered based on project demand. We also need to think about product refresh rates when considering holding excess stock, which is why relationships and communication with vendors are so important. For example: the Avid Nexis E-series has been around for more than five years but has just been updated to the F-series – you wouldn’t want to be caught holding stock of an outdated product when a new version is released. Is there scope for production companies and integrators to work even more closely with specific suppliers and manufacturers in order to pre-empt pipeline issues? Perhaps the creation of a new ‘go-between’ role, or enhanced involvement from project estimators and system designers? LW: Part of our ethos is a commitment to the environment, as well as extensive testing of the latest innovations in all areas of our business. A core example of this is within the live workflow space with EVS. This led us to be the first rental house to purchase the new EVS PMZ
“Vendor relationships are so important. We have to consider product refresh rates when holding excess stock – you don’t want to be stocking an outdated product when a new version is released”
49. JANUARY 2023
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