Storage to recover after Japan shake-up

The full effect of the Japan disaster on the storage channel is as yet unknown, says Paul Matravers

The recent massive earthquake in Japan was a tragedy, and my thoughts are with all those affected.

Across the globe, the impact is being felt in multiple ways. In the channel, there is widespread uncertainty regarding the availability of storage products and the knock-on effect the manufacturing disruption will have further down the supply chain.

The products that have been affected most are LTO media, memory and disk. Some factories have been destroyed altogether, and efforts to resume supplies where possible have been tentative, owing to the impact of blackouts implemented due to the instability of the nuclear power plants.

While Japan works towards rebuilding its economy and infrastructure, which rely so heavily on component manufacture, communication in the channel is key.

Reduced supply brings price rises and extended lead times, but keeping up-to-date with the situation as it changes will ensure that everyone is in the best possible position to weather the turbulent market conditions.

We generally hold high stock volumes of the affected products, and are in daily contact with manufacturers to monitor supply levels. We are also aiming to provide up-to-date information whenever the situation changes. The information that I have been receiving indicates that price increases are unavoidable, and stock levels will inevitably suffer.

Resellers will also need to ensure they calculate their requirements carefully and cover their forecasts correctly.

Unfortunately, the extent of economic or channel repercussions will not be fully known in the near future, but cohesive communication will go a long way to maintaining as much normality as possible during this time.

Paul Matravers is storage products director at Hammer