Resellers are looking at alternative supply chains such as second-hand and refurbished channels as vendors warn that delays on new deployments could last months.
Conrad Mohr, project leader of UK-based laptop re-manufacturer Circular Computing, said he has been inundated with calls from resellers desperately trying to source laptops to complete customer Windows 10 deployments.
Mohr said resellers are seeking alternative channels as PC vendors HP, Dell and Lenovo warn them of long delays as a result of factories closing due to the coronavirus and Intel’s chip shortage.
Global notebook shipments are expected to fall by 29 to 36 per cent this quarter according to Digitimes as manufacturers recover from factory closures in Asia due to the coronavirus.
Lenovo recently confirmed that one of its main factories – based in the hard-hit Wuhan region – remains closed while Foxconn said it won’t resume normal production until the end of this month.
Mohr said that many vendors are unable to give ETAs on orders as supply chains in Asia face ongoing uncertainty.
He said Circular Computing is now at “full capacity” with 6,000 laptop orders per month and claims resellers are contacting the firm on a daily basis in search of refurbished computers to fulfill customer deployments.
“I have one reseller with just seven quotes out for Gen 6 laptops with a value of over £700,000, Mohr said.
“Customers realise that a refurbished Windows 10 Gen 6 laptop with a three-year warranty is more than fit for purpose. Our customers also value the sustainability benefits that refurbished laptops bring to their business. Laptops with a low carbon, waste and water footprint that cost less than new are not only good for business, but good for the planet too.
“Seeing that GiffGaff is advertising refurbished phones on television, that Google is using refurbished servers in its data-centers, it feels like the world of always buying “new” maybe changing.”
Taken from CRN
