Supply Chain Troubles

The global supply chain is having issues. From no sriracha on grocery store shelves to months of backorder on computer chips, seemingly everyone is affected by the problems with the supply chain, though the severity of the effects can vary. The issues started in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic “amid a ‘perfect storm’ of causes, including shifts in demand, labor shortages and structural factors.” Supply chain risk factors beyond the pandemic have continued in 2022. Port congestion, impact from the Russia-Ukraine conflict, disruptions and limitations on air and rail freight, and a shortage of truck drivers have all played a part in the supply chain troubles.

Two-thirds of AOTMP® members who responded to a poll said the supply chain issues have affected their organization some, and one-third said the supply chain issues have affected their organization significantly. Amid all the turmoil, we connected with an AOTMP® Enterprise member to learn how supply chain issues are affecting their organization.

The AOTMP® member said that supply chain issues have slowed their new construction efforts in several ways. Though they typically finish up one new building each day somewhere in the world, the internet, voice, alarm lines, HVAC controls, etc. have had delays, bringing many of their construction sites to a standstill. Additionally, getting permits has caused trouble. In California, some of their locations have been pushed out to over a year past their initially scheduled review dates. Despite this, in some other locations, other companies have cancelled or postponed their construction, so the AOTMP® member’s company was bumped up to earlier review dates for permits.

Beyond permits, the AOTMP® member also experienced a gap in the availability of newer technology. They planned to move to newer technologies for some alarm, elevator, and other service lines in their new builds, but vendors were out of the equipment that had been vetted and approved. Some locations had to revert to POTS lines. They also delayed decommissioning some of their satellite equipment as a “stop gap” measure because they could not be sure that internet upload speeds could be increased enough to allow them to pull the satellite equipment.

The AOTMP® member’s organization uses is a hybrid BYOD mobile enablement model. However, the devices are often purchased from a source with discounted pricing that the organization suggests to employees. The choice of available devices has really slowed down employees upgrading their devices, which left a bad impression on several of their new hires.