ETC Console Order Issues

Don't feel bad. We are one of the regions largest ETC dealers and I'm waiting for stuff I put on hold last October.
If folks don't know but, as it was explained to me, ETC is having to redesign some of their Mobos to accommodate what chips they CAN get now. The result has been massive delays all over the product lines. They also ran into issues with Cable suppliers, Raw materials for things like all those aluminum parts (racks, back-boxes, cases, switch plates...)
Things are getting a ton better though, stuff is moving again and The folks I deal with in Middleton have been open and honest and informative as possible.
 
I just ordered a dozen ColorSource Jr.'s. Here's hoping I get them before November
ETC just gave me a 16 week ETA on these. Anything can happen between now and then, but at the moment looks like you could have them in time.
 
ETC just gave me a 16 week ETA on these. Anything can happen between now and then, but at the moment looks like you could have them in time.
16-20 is average right now. <leaning towards 20>
 
I will say some manufacturers are not experiencing long lead times like these. Backorders, yes, but these super extended and continually lengthening ETA's are not being experienced by everyone. ETC and Robe are the two I've heard have had the hardest time with this. Anyone else have issues with others?
 
Edited to Add: After doing more research and communicating directly with ETC, I now think that my issues are not with them at all, but with B&H Photo Video and whatever ETC dealer they ordered the drop shipment through. I wanted to edit this to reflect that, because I’m now getting really good communication directly from ETC.

Anyone know what's going on over at ETC? We ordered a new console (IonXE 20) on December 15, and the initial shipping estimate was 8-10 weeks. That date has since slipped three times. Our last date was supposed to be April 28 and I've been hounding the folks at B&H that sold us the console, but I just received an E-mail saying the date has changed to August 8! I understand that there are global supply issues, but this is getting ridiculous.

Not only that, but they sent B&H a tracking number back in March saying it had been shipped (it was actually for a completely different item shipped to a completely different address) so B&H presumably paid ETC already. And because our business office failed to look into the delivery confirmation B&H sent them back in March, we've already paid.

The situation is getting pretty frustrating.
I am in the same exact boat. I ordered an Element 2 the first week of December though B&H and was expecting it the first week of April. It has now been pushed to some time in July. You are not the only one...
 
Gonna wade into here a bit. I am an authorized ETC dealer as my day job at Vincent Lighting Systems; I run their boxed goods site, Proadv.com.

When you are soliciting bids, I strongly recommend you check with the manufacturers to see that you are dealing with an authorized dealer. Most manufacturers have a list of dealers or a dealer finder on their site. I'll work on putting together a page in our wiki for where to look up authorized dealers for brands.

ESTA is a good place to start to find a local theatrical supply dealer: https://my.esta.org/directory

Manufacturers with dealer locators: (NOT an exhaustive list, I will work on a wiki page for that later)

And to echo @Lowell Olcott and @rsmentele , every dealer in this industry is dealing with supply chain issues in one form or another to one degree or another. The best thing you can do is order as early as humanly possible and warn those above you who make the purchasing decisions you need as many months as possible of lead time.
 
They're usually the most expensive as well!
B & H's model is not based solely on lowest price. Their customer service is top notch, their inventory is fresh, and tech support pre/post sale is very, very good. That said, buying theatrical LX consoles from "grey source" dealers seems a bit silly. The purchasing department at your theater or institution probably needs a "charismatic slap" across the head for insisting on a single source vendor, though. These things wouldn't happen without *buyers* insisting on it.
 
B & H's model is not based solely on lowest price. Their customer service is top notch, their inventory is fresh, and tech support pre/post sale is very, very good. That said, buying theatrical LX consoles from "grey source" dealers seems a bit silly. The purchasing department at your theater or institution probably needs a "charismatic slap" across the head for insisting on a single source vendor, though. These things wouldn't happen without *buyers* insisting on it.

This summarizes the issue with B&H, you can tell what they acquire through 3rd party sources by looking at the clues on the product pages.
IF you see SPECIAL ORDER or NOT RETURNABLE OR CANCELABLE you should really think if it's worth the hassle in case there is a mistake or issue with the order. No actual ETC dealer would ever say an item can't be returned.

1653584246108.png
 
That statement pretty much sums everything up. First off our sincere apologies for the delays. We're just as frustrated as you are. We provide dates based on when we are expecting components to arrive. Sadly the state of the global supply market means that shipment dates and quantities are no where near as reliable as they used to be. In most cases the updates you receive about shipping dates changing are because we receive similar updates about component changes. There are some extremes on products that are actually causing us to have to redesign away from exceedingly long lead times. Which unfortunately just leads to more delays. I'm not sure about the tracking number issue you mention but we try to keep all of our dealers well informed about current situations, no matter how often the change.
Your trust in us and your business mean everything to us and we are committed to solving theses issue. We're all frustrated beyond belief but continue to work hard to get you the products you need.

-Lowell Olcott
Product Manger - Integrative Technologies ETC
It's been my perception that a lot of these supply chain issues are the direct result of manufacturing slipping more and more to JIT fulfillment instead of the manufacturing tradition of carrying inventory.

What has ETCs policy traditionally been about carrying inventory in house in advance of manufacturing, and it that policy slated to change as supplies again become available from the manufacturing chain?

[ And yes, I realize that policy decision probably comes from a step or three above you in the TOE, but I figure you probably know it, even if you didn't make it. ]
 
It's been my perception that a lot of these supply chain issues are the direct result of manufacturing slipping more and more to JIT fulfillment instead of the manufacturing tradition of carrying inventory.

What has ETCs policy traditionally been about carrying inventory in house in advance of manufacturing, and it that policy slated to change as supplies again become available from the manufacturing chain?

[ And yes, I realize that policy decision probably comes from a step or three above you in the TOE, but I figure you probably know it, even if you didn't make it. ]
Jay--

ETC carries levels of inventory that "financial professionals" deem unsustainable. In the past, it has served us well in being able to respond quickly to order demands. JIT is not in our vocabulary.

Even with that very high level of inventory, we are challenged in the current supply chain shortage.

An example: Let's say a product has 1759 different parts. 1758 parts are on the shelf. One part is missing. Result=we cannot ship a product.

High inventory is a way of life at ETC, and I don't expect that to change in my lifetime.

ST
 
Last edited:
Jay--

ETC carries levels of inventory that "financial professionals" deem unsustainable. In the past, it has served us well in being able to respond quickly to order demands. JIT is not in our vocabulary.

Even with that very high level of inventory, we are challenged in the current supply chain shortage.

An example: Let's say a product has 1759 different parts. 1758 parts are on the shelf. One part is missing. Result=we cannot ship a product.

High inventory is a way of life at ETC, and I don't expect that to change in my lifetime.

"We already do it right". Gotcha.

Good to hear. :)

For the record, I *already* knew why ETC consoles cost more; I had to call for support on one at 7pm on a Saturday night.
 
Last edited:
B & H's model is not based solely on lowest price. Their customer service is top notch, their inventory is fresh, and tech support pre/post sale is very, very good. That said, buying theatrical LX consoles from "grey source" dealers seems a bit silly. The purchasing department at your theater or institution probably needs a "charismatic slap" across the head for insisting on a single source vendor, though. These things wouldn't happen without *buyers* insisting on it.

In our case, there were multiple bidders, B&H was lowest, but I objected as they were not an actual authorized dealer of ETC gear, they were obviously getting from another vendor. I pointed out the issue to our purchasing dept., especially the warranty issue. That was against the purchasing rules so they disqualified the bid.

Im glad you've had positive results with them. I have my own personal issues after learning in a NY Times article that they staff their Bronx warehouse with somewhat low paid foreign workers (legal though), then will only promote into any management positions , people of a different ethnic background and religion. There were many questions about discrimination at the time. I don't know if they ever changed their promotion practices and as there were alternative vendors similarly priced, I just took my personal business elsewhere. I never saw a bid from then again.

I did see this online

 
My fulfillment date just got pushed out AGAIN, this time until 10/24. 14+ months from order to fulfillment (assuming we get it in October). We won't have it for our fall production, but hope to work it in for the fall dance concert.

As such, if/when my ColorSource fixtures arrive, they will be some expensive doorstops until the Ion arrives (my current console doesn't have the channel capacity to add 60 channels of control into my current array).
 
Yeah, I talked to them about two weeks ago. They didn’t get the July shipment of chips they had anticipated. They’re redesigning the console around a new chipset, but that requires time. They said they won’t be able to start shipping consoles with those new chips until October.

I don’t have a Fall production, and I can muddle through with my old console for now. It’s got to be awful for the company to be unable to ship one of their flagship products for months. This kind of issue could put a lot of companies under.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back