ADKOMunity 3, November 2020
The recent issue of our newsletter offered an insight into the current freight situation from China and Hong Kong. At the end of the report, we provided you with further information on the procurement situation and price development for displays. Given the occasion, we would like to lend you further insights into the aforementioned points in the November edition of ADKOMunity. The second part includes an article about the possibilities of an individual design for standard displays, published in the special issue Display 11-2020 of the trade journal Elektronikpartner. Finally, we would like to complete the issue with the introduction of our colleague Ursula Taylor who is responsible for Complaints and Adjustments Management at ADKOM.
On-going effects of the pandemic on the display delivery situation
On-going effects of the pandemic on the display delivery situation As is known, the 1st lockdown is behind us, but the import situation has not yet returned to normal. If we ignore the entry and exit restrictions of the countries of origin for a moment, the situation will remain tense. One of the main reasons for this is that passenger flights are not returning to the same frequency as they were before the pandemic began.
For days there has been an increase in information from our partners who all deal with the same topic. The content of the news is the currently difficult procurement situation for display components such as TFT panels, certain driver ICs and polarizers. Along with, in some cases, clearly noticeable price increases, delivery times are mentioned that are drastically extended.
A factor driven by the pandemic which leads to a shortage of components and thus to problems in display production is a much higher sales of TV sets in the 3rd quarter of 2020. According to current market analyzes, sales from China to the USA and Europe increased by more than 10 percent in Q3 2020 alone compared to the month of 2019. Accordingly, over 62 million units were shipped in these 3 months. Coupled with the turmoil in the LCDTFT market due to the withdrawal of very large manufacturers from this technology such as Mitsubishi and Nanya, there are upheavals and needs that are at the expense of small screen diagonals and industry-typical sales volumes. Another reason for sell-out of the markets is the expansion and development of the 5G networks in China.
We, at ADKOM, try in very close cooperation with our partners to keep the impact on our customers as low as possible, but it will probably not work out without negative news. Although there are estimates by leading manufacturers that the situation could improve again in Q2 of next year, there is, unfortunately, no guarantee from today‘s perspective. It essentially depends on the development of the sales figures of the markets in 2021. That is why it is extremely important that you plan your needs together with us. In this way, a break in the supply chain can be avoided at an early stage.
The situation described does not only apply to customers of TFTs, but also has a great influence on passive LCD production. Driver ICs and polarizers are to be mentioned here throughout all technologies.
Standard-Displays individually designed
What at first reads like a complete contradiction is still possible in practice. Today‘s display production leaves room for maneuver to give standard displays an individual look. Our report from the special edition of Elektronikpraxis offers you an excursus about the possibilities for distinctive designs. For many medium-sized companies with their typical production quantities, the attempt to give your product a unique appearance and thus to create unique selling points compared to the competition is an important criterion. You could also describe it as “affordable design criteria”.
Unfortunately, this article is only available in German language.
Ursula Taylor, Complaints and Adjustments Management
Ursula Taylor has been working at ADKOM for many years, almost from day one at our company.
Many customers on the one hand, and suppliers on the other hand, have already been in contact with her when difficulties of various kinds appeared. “That can never be avoided to 100 percent. We can‘t promise that a project won‘t have problems for whatever reason. But we can promise that we will work with our customers and, of course, upstream suppliers to get these problems solved. It is all the more important to understand my work as an interface. Believe me: It is often not easy, and yet it is actually always possible to solve a problem in a satisfactory and mutual way in the long term. Because every complaint offers an opportunity.“
And Ursula Taylor has been working accordingly for many years and considers it as one of the most important parts of her job. True to the motto: ”A mistake can happen once, but shouldn‘t been made a second time.“ The necessary calm for her work – ”Emotions are out of place here – it‘s about solutions and also about a steadfast demeanor“ – she gets from her family, her granddaughter and her hobbies. ”Every call, every e-mail has to be followed by an extremely thorough research. I am grateful that I can enjoy support from the engineers and technicians of our suppliers as well as in-house. This enables me, although I am not originally familiar with technical matters, to work and communicate in a comprehensible and transparent manner.“
Ursula Taylor may be proud of the fact that throughout her work in the past 20 years, many customers who initially saw a problem have remained loyal to us. ”Customers feel valued and not left alone when a complaint department works productively“, she says.
We hope that she will stay with us for a long time to come. ”Ambitions? Customer satisfaction. Again, and again!“ That is her credo we at ADKOM Elektronik GmbH follow every day.
If you have got any questions, please contact us. We gladly support you.