ETC Console Order Issues

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.
 
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Chip shortages are what they are. ETC can't just magic into existence the parts they need. Feel free to give them a call to make sure you are still in line, but until supply catches up with demand we are all stuck waiting for our ship to come in.

The sound equipment I ordered last year which would normally be a 2 week turn around took over 8 months to come in.
 
When a manufacturer gets 10 pieces of an SKU that normally ships as 500 pieces, there will be delays.

edit ps: be glad it's bought and paid for, ordering now would certainly be at a higher price.
 
Chip shortages are what they are. ETC can't just magic into existence the parts they need. Feel free to give them a call to make sure you are still in line, but until supply catches up with demand we are all stuck waiting for our ship to come in.

The sound equipment I ordered last year which would normally be a 2 week turn around took over 8 months to come in.
I understand the chip shortage. I, too, ordered sound equipment that took months to arrive. It's the repeatedly changing deadlines obvious shipping errors, and premature billing that have me frustrated.

And, yes, indeed, the price has increased significantly since we ordered.
 
I understand the chip shortage. I, too, ordered sound equipment that took months to arrive. It's the repeatedly changing deadlines obvious shipping errors, and premature billing that have me frustrated.

And, yes, indeed, the price has increased significantly since we ordered.
The Deadly Phlegm came about the time my shop was going to buy new audio consoles. No market, so we held off. We now wish we'd ordered before the chip foundry fires because critical components are made of 100% Unobtanium. :(

Yeah, the sloppy followups are disappointing. Hopefully your console is in queue to be shipped soon. :)
 
I'd just say that whatever is going on is not unique to ETC. A loudspeaker manufacturer sent a notice today that most orders they receive right now cannot be filled until Q1 2023 at the earliest. I think that's why some manufacturers are making a smaller splash at tradeshows right now than they normally would -- they run the risk of selling more product than they already are, and there's simply no way to clear that backlog and no way to shore up the supply chains. Fabbing chips and components from raw materials isn't exactly the kind of process anyone can ramp up quickly. That's a years-long process for the companies who already have the experience of having already done it for decades, and the supply of the tooling and raw materials for that process is a problem in and of itself.
 
Just curious. B&H is (started) as a photo supply company. Last I checked they were not an authorized ETC dealer. I think I refused a bid once for this,
 
The situation is getting pretty frustrating.

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
 
Unfortunately, the chip vendors are now clawing back orders as well. I had an order placed (with a 50 week lead time) for 200k parts. They now told me that they will only be able to send me 3000 as they are prioritizing shipments to the auto industry. What can I do with 3000 parts when I need 200000? I too have been redesigning products (some as much as 4 times) to use a different processor due to availability; unfortunately that means the software guys now have to port that code to these new processors in a lot less time they would like. I can't wait for things to get closer to "normal"
/mike
 
ETC.. maybe a nomad license and dongle for the hardware cost for those in line might make the pain somewhat less. Can run it nicely on a 200 buck refurb i5 touchscreen all in one and an extra monitor.. At least a facility that wants to move into the eos line could do the learning and do events/shows while waiting. I just bought a really nice 2 universe artnet to dmx unit for about 200 bucks. A goodwill gesture on the ETC side and maybe a 4 to 600 buck outlay on the customer side for some hardware might make a nice bridge until "normal" occurs. Just thinking literally outside your box.. since it's unavailable.
 
I understand the chip shortage. I, too, ordered sound equipment that took months to arrive. It's the repeatedly changing deadlines obvious shipping errors, and premature billing that have me frustrated.

And, yes, indeed, the price has increased significantly since we ordered.
The supply chain being what it is, be glad that you're getting updates it means that their suppliers are actually updating them on when to expect things. Yamaha isn't shipping consoles for year. so it could be worse.
ETC.. maybe a nomad license and dongle for the hardware cost for those in line might make the pain somewhat less. Can run it nicely on a 200 buck refurb i5 touchscreen all in one and an extra monitor.. At least a facility that wants to move into the eos line could do the learning and do events/shows while waiting. I just bought a really nice 2 universe artnet to dmx unit for about 200 bucks. A goodwill gesture on the ETC side and maybe a 4 to 600 buck outlay on the customer side for some hardware might make a nice bridge until "normal" occurs. Just thinking literally outside your box.. since it's unavailable.
even the nomad was on hold from october of last year, though they've finally started filling some of those orders. There's no guarantee these days other than planning for a long wait.
 
The supply chain being what it is, be glad that you're getting updates it means that their suppliers are actually updating them on when to expect things. Yamaha isn't shipping consoles for year. so it could be worse.

even the nomad was on hold from october of last year, though they've finally started filling some of those orders. There's no guarantee these days other than planning for a long wait.
I knew the "gadget" was unavailable.. I thought they would still ship the key if you wanted to use artnet. I was laying down the pieces for me to do that as a backup unit for our ion. Still have to pull the trigger. All in all it is an interesting time we live in. Found out somewhere the final filter used in the UV chip etching machines is a chamber of Neon. And half the worlds supply came from... wait for it... the Ukraine..
 
ETC is redesigning their consoles for available parts. I've had an ION XE on order since August. Lustr3 fixtures have a 35 week lead time. It's rough out there.
 
We must have been very lucky to find stuff actually in stock - we took delivery of about 40 fixtures (colorsource spots and spot jrs) and an arc system and controller last summer and the total lead time was about 6 weeks for the entire delivery.
 
We must have been very lucky to find stuff actually in stock - we took delivery of about 40 fixtures (colorsource spots and spot jrs) and an arc system and controller last summer and the total lead time was about 6 weeks for the entire delivery.

You might have squeezed in before inventory ran out.

I was just told (by Vincent Stage Lighting) that Color Source's are 12-16 weeks out, while Lustr's are 16-35 weeks
 
I had a very nice E-mail exchange with someone from ETC, and I think that my communications issues were actually the fault of the dealer. We ordered through B&H because we have an existing relationship with them and it was part of a larger order associated with a grant. Turns out B&H is not an authorized dealer; they placed the order through an authorized dealer, so there’s an added layer between us, and B&H isn’t getting their info directly from ETC. the shipping/tracking issue was also probably the fault of whoever B&H ordered from.

The upshot of the E-mail exchange was that the Ion XE 20 currently has a 30-week lead time. They expect a shipment of processors in July, so sometime in August is a good guess at availability, at least for now. But things could change. They located our order, we’re in the queue, and they will ship on a first-in-first-out basis regardless of how they were ordered.

I’ll be editing my initial post because I now think it was unfair and that my issues are primarily with B&H.
 
I talked to my ETC rep today and the 30 week delay for Series 3 fixtures was 45 weeks last month so maybe things are getting better. He says the delay currently is based on back orders not supply chain problems at this point.
 
I talked to my ETC rep today and the 30 week delay for Series 3 fixtures was 45 weeks last month so maybe things are getting better. He says the delay currently is based on back orders not supply chain problems at this point.

For the consoles, the guy I corresponded with said that the issue is still getting the chips they need.

At this point, I won’t be able to use it until next school year, and our first major production is not until November. But I do need to train my tech crew up on the new equipment. We went through the Level 1 video course this spring, but until we get the desk under their hands they’re not going to really understand it.
 
For the consoles, the guy I corresponded with said that the issue is still getting the chips they need.

At this point, I won’t be able to use it until next school year, and our first major production is not until November. But I do need to train my tech crew up on the new equipment. We went through the Level 1 video course this spring, but until we get the desk under their hands they’re not going to really understand it.
That's where the free version of nomad will help you.. even without output to the real rig. It will mirror your console almost exactly .. has onscreen replica of the console's keyboard as well. You can run dual screen etc. I even onboarded a young guy on the basics via phone and teamviewer.. then he just took off and pounded on it, like I suspect most of us have.. to reach a comfort level. .. transition to the real console was easy then.
 
That's where the free version of nomad will help you.. even without output to the real rig. It will mirror your console almost exactly .. has onscreen replica of the console's keyboard as well. You can run dual screen etc. I even onboarded a young guy on the basics via phone and teamviewer.. then he just took off and pounded on it, like I suspect most of us have.. to reach a comfort level. .. transition to the real console was easy then.
Yeah, we’ve been using it. It’s been pretty helpful.
 

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