Getting an Eyeful

• By Ralph C. Jensen
• Mar 31, 2022

If the past couple of years has exposed anything, one critical thought is being able to talk face-to-face, and see and touch new technology. ISC West provided exactly that opportunity.

In my travels around the tradeshow floor, I talked with plenty of dealers and integrators who were thrilled to be back on the show floor. Best of all, it was a terrific find that manufacturers weren’t holding back because of the pandemic. Seriously research and development continued its rapid pace to the marketplace.

A concern of enormous proportions is the swell of supply chain issues. Problems arose from the global pandemic but there were contentions of high demand, growing port congestion and manufacturing delays from 2021. Rising COVID-19 cases coupled with extreme weather and blockage of the Suez Canal didn’t help matter either.

At the heart of the matter, getting raw goods to the manufacturer, and back to the dealer/integrator.

Rich Caruthers, president of Galaxy Access Control, in Walkersville, MD, charged at supply demands head first. Rick needed chips; everyone needs chips. At one point, he was able to purchase 1,000 of them. He was lucky to get them, but his supplier had been charging $8 a chip. Well, low and behold during the supply chain crisis, that price shot up to $39 per chip.

Can you imagine the hesitation to pull the trigger on that purchase? The upside: Rick knows quite well how to manage the logistics of the Galaxy business. Dealers and integrators can expect top-quality products from the Maryland USA plant.

Supply chain issues will work themselves out. Manufacturers likely won’t forget who gave their support during the tough times, and who stuck a finger in their eye.