In mid-May here on the Staff Portal we made you aware that there were long delivery times for computers and other IT equipment. Now those who work with purchasing and support of our IT equipment have asked us to write about this issue again to really emphasise it.

Computers and IT equipment that would normally take a couple of weeks to deliver may in fact take several months to get to us.

Long delivery times on computers are a global problem and are due to a lack of components and an increase in demand because many people are working from home during the pandemic. In addition, the pandemic has caused transport problems worldwide. There is simply too little manufacturing capacity globally for some components.

Everyone needs to be aware of the problem

“If a purchaser expects a delivery time of one to two weeks, or even shorter, and after ordering gets an expected delivery time of more than two months, there is of course a risk that they will be quite dissatisfied,” says Gunnar Herlitz, Unit Manager for Service and Support at the University’s IT Department.

So it’s important that as many people as possible know about – and plan for – the problem of long delivery times of IT equipment. Since there are many different procedures for ordering IT equipment at the University, it is important that all employees are made aware of this problem.

“Most people have probably read about the general delivery problems that people are experiencing these days due to the pandemic. But often they don’t make the connection that this also applies in the workplace in fact. People are often very surprised when we pass on the supplier’s information about the expected delivery time to the end customer.”

Delayed orders to continue

There may be a misunderstanding about the recommendations for IT equipment intended for general office work. Each recommendation is based more on the technical specifications than current availability.

“Models are actually recommended more due to their technical specifications, affordability and the supplier’s after-sales support.”

Parts of the University have continued to order IT equipment with the expectation that delivery times will be just a couple of weeks.

“But there are also examples where departments have called on their division managers to place orders for IT equipment as soon as possible when new employees have been appointed. And this has generally meant that the equipment in place when the employee has started work. One department also brought forward its regular group order for the estimated number of new computers and screens it requires. This order was placed just before midsummer and in this specific case the most recent notification from the supplier is that the computers will arrive at the end of October.”

Situation unlikely to improve until 2023

At present, it looks as if the problem will continue throughout 2022.

“One of many analyses states that components may be in short supply until the end of 2022. Then in 2023 according to the same analysis, it will flip into overcapacity in manufacturing. There are various analyses of the situation, and it may well be resolved earlier than this. But we can probably expect component shortages for most of 2022.”

Plan well ahead of time

These long delivery times on IT equipment mean that everyone has to think about and plan their activities differently than what we have been used to.

“Many are waiting to place their orders until new employees have arrived on campus, with the reasoning that new employees can decide on this equipment themselves. But with three-month delivery times, it must be ordered at the same time as the person is hired – if you are going to expect the equipment to be in place once a new employee arrives. In the worst-case scenario, the person will arrive and there will be no equipment to borrow.”

Of course, this also applies to equipment that needs to be replaced for existing staff. If you do not order in good time and there is no equipment to borrow, a situation could arise where an employee does not have any computer two years.

“Then of course the new employee won’t be able to do the work expected of them, with all that would mean.

“If you can’t work because of you don’t have a computer, then of course the new employee might well become dissatisfied and probably also rather disappointed in their new employer.”