Planning for 2022 is well underway here at Chiptech, with timelines for new product launches being established, software projects prioritised, and parts being secured for our range of digital telecare products. As we have seen over the last year, the impact of Covid-19 has been far reaching with the electronic parts shortages and freight challenges continuing to be felt by manufacturers around the globe. Predictions for parts shortages in 2022 have not changed and we continue to have a number of specialised parts on allocation. Our staff have continued to place orders for parts and source alternative supplies, with lead times that are unprecedented and price increases occurring across nearly every part we purchase.

To adapt to this ‘new normal’ we have moved exclusively to just-in-time manufacturing of Chiptech products to reduce any potential wastage. Manufacturing based on orders received means we limit parts being populated on printed circuit boards (PCBs) unnecessarily, but this has an impact on the time it takes for us to supply orders.  Over the past 3 months we have seen the supply time increase by an average of two weeks. Our Production Team Leaders are tirelessly prioritising resources to ensure we can get out products to customers as quickly and efficiently as possible. We have appreciated the patience of all our customers while we have made this pivot to ensure that no one is unnecessarily delayed or misses out. Towards the end of 2021 our Account Manager started to email proactive status updates on orders. We will continue to do this throughout 2022 to provide some reassurance and hopefully aid in our customers’ planning for up-and-coming work, human resourcing, and installation dates with end users.

While we are still in the thick of global parts shortages, we appreciate any indications of changes in purchasing from our customers for 2022 and into 2023, so we can ensure we have enough parts on hand to meet their expectations. Although 2022 may not offer the turn in the road we are all hoping for, we want to ensure we are as well prepared as we can be to face the year ahead.

If you want to discuss anything regarding forecasts, supply or capacity, please contact us.