As 2022 comes to a close, the DustShield® team is looking back on the trends and major happenings we saw in the year, as well as what we expect to see in 2023.
Lead times continued to be a major challenge for DustShield customers in 2022. Specifically, those looking for quality printers were forced to wait longer for their new machines. Depending on the organization, the delay could result in one of two major decisions for the organization–place the order and wait for the machine to come in, regardless how long it takes, or look for alternative solutions.
For organizations in the former category, they expressed frustration as the delivery dates were often a moving target and therefore the organization was stuck just waiting and hoping. For the others, they decided they couldn’t wait and went with another option. Unfortunately, this sometimes resulted in organizations having to “settle” for whatever was available in their timeframe, which could equal ordering a subpar machine.
In addition, we’ve noticed that more and more of our customers are moving toward smaller PCs. Instead of building an enclosure that will hold a tower, monitor, mouse, keyboard and even printer, we have helped protect more and more monitor-only setups. Instead of a full-size processing unit, companies have also started turning to small hand-held computers or units that can plug into a USB port. These are referred as “PCs on a stick” or “micro PCs.”
Speaking of machines going smaller, we’ve also seen more organizations, specifically those who package and ship products regularly, adopt more mobile tools to help with their processes. Now, instead of requiring workers to move back and forth to grab labels, scanners, product and the like, the team member can wear a scanner that works directly with a printer at their location.
While machines might be going smaller, screens have not. More and more organizations are turning to TV screens for their internal communication needs. They want team members to rely less on their personal mobile devices to watch for important news on the screens.
Regardless how big or small the machines have gotten, organizations have really realized the benefits of having the machines where the work is done, even if that location is in a dirty shop or dusty warehouse.
2022’s trends appear to be here for a while, as we don’t see any supply chain fixes coming soon. Plus, with technology advancements, we are likely to continue seeing more and more companies adopt mobile electronics solutions as they work to improve efficiency.
Therefore, we would recommend that any organizations place their equipment orders as early as possible. Even if you’re going to be waiting on a printer, you can still order the enclosure for it. That way, when the printer arrives, you’re ready to rock and roll, rather than waiting around for the enclosure to deploy your printer (or worse, allowing your machine to get gunked up in the interim).
At DustShield, we have worked hard to keep our lead times to a minimum. If you’re looking for a quality means to protect your essential electronics, we can help, even if the equipment isn’t in your shop yet!
To learn more, contact our specialists now at 417.736.3746 or sales1@amprod.us.
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