28th Sep 2021
Find Out If It's Time To Panic Buy
As with everything else now, the broadcast industry is facing a few shortages. High demand of popular items such as the Sony ILME-FX6 is currently outstripping supply capabilities and leaving many customers waiting for weeks. This is compounded by many manufacturers facing factory fires and geopolitical issues.
AKM Parts Factory Fire In Japan
Last year it was reported a fire broke out in one of Sony’s main factories for producing camera parts. The fire is thought to have completely destroyed AKM parts factory in Japan and impacted their release schedule of new Sony E-mount cameras for 2021. In a statement issued by Sony Europe not long after they noted: "Due to some unexpected circumstances, we are currently facing a severe shortage of key parts used in our imaging products. We have been working very closely with our key parts supplier to restore stock, and the situation is gradually improving. We are doing everything we can to rectify the situation and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused." The AKM parts factory fire also impacted other popular brands, most notably Canon & Nikon. Both of which echoed similar statements made by Sony.
Distribution Due To Political Unrest
Several brands have noted that political uprisings have led to some factories being shut down. In Myanmar, the military coup earlier this year saw the closure of factories for some professional tripod manufacturers. This has led to the loss of parts and delays to shipments with long backlogs of orders. In China, political tensions between Beijing and Hong-Kong also affected brands being able to operate and ship normally. These are mostly resolved now but the aftereffects can still be felt, especially around nearby city Shenzhen which uses the HK port for shipping out of products globally.
What Does This Mean For You?
The main thing is not to panic! Even though some cameras are in short demand, orders are still being fulfilled and eventually will come to you. If you do need certain items urgently your best bet is to either contact us directly so we can put you on our priority list, or to place your order online and be in the queue to receive the next allocation of deliveries as soon as possible. We will always do our best to give you honest estimates of delivery times and get cameras or accessories with you in the fastest way possible!
Find out about current lead times on the popular Sony FX6 by contacting us directly on 01895 825 619.