Whether it’s on-premises, in a virtual machine or in the Cloud, software always runs on hardware. While we are known for our software-based encoding and decoding, many customers also want us to provide hardware. That’s where the significance of shipping and logistics comes into play.
This article explores the critical role of shipping and logistics, the challenges we’ve faced, and how we have overcome them to ensure our deliveries arrive on time, every time. We’ve written many blog posts about how we optimised our code or our latency, but not many people know we have highly optimised our supply chain and logistics to deliver for our clients.
The Importance of Timeliness in Broadcasting
In broadcasting, the clock is always ticking. Unlike the IT sector, which can operate on flexible timelines, our industry demands strict adherence to deadlines. Major sporting events and significant news stories won’t wait, and any delay could jeopardise both our customers’ success and our own reputation.
Challenges
The problem is, the IT industry does not operate with the same urgency as the broadcast industry and is therefore ill-equipped to cope with tight deadlines. Deliveries required in days sometimes take weeks or even months. But receiving an encoder the day after a major event is not just inconvenient – it’s a catastrophe.
Another challenge that has intensified over the past few years is parts shortages. Essential components, such as RAM, Mellanox chips, and server chassis, are often out of stock, complicating our logistics even further.
How We Face these Challenges
To ensure reliability, we’ve made several strategic decisions to tackle these challenges head-on.
Firstly, we’ve opted to override our suppliers’ shipping choices in favour of DHL whenever possible, even if it comes at a premium. Note that this isn’t our shipping, this is the upstream shipping of our suppliers for parts before it’s reached us or a systems integrator. Many IT suppliers default to the cheapest carrier, or one they have an agreement with, regardless of the quality of service. DHL guarantees punctuality, ensuring that shipments arrive daily, at a specific time. Their efficient customs processing helps to eliminate delays, with a 24/7 hotline for customs that can solve issues even at 1am. By the time other couriers’ customs helplines open, it might be too late to deliver that day. Furthermore, the DHL helpline is staffed by humans who can act immediately, not excruciating AI or electronic voice prompts bouncing you between departments.
One delay in a small or inconsequential part can delay a large project so this is extremely important.
DHL’s logistical expertise in London is astonishing – sometimes flight delays occur and DHL sends a special courier from Heathrow Airport to meet our local courier to make sure packages arrive on time. The picture on the right shows our local driver arriving as he does almost every day at the same time. This gives us immense confidence.
In cases of extreme urgency, we use DHL Global Forwarding, which consists of specialised teams experienced in media logistics for high-profile events. Their expertise allows us to ensure that our customers’ equipment reaches them on schedule, even when transporting gear to remote locations under tight deadlines. We used them for our world-first transmission over OneWeb from the UEFA Champions League in the Faroe Islands, a very remote location – they worked closely with airlines and a local shipping broker to make sure a last minute delivery of a valuable OneWeb terminal arrived on time.
Secondly, we maintain a large inventory of essential parts, enabling us to meet customer needs even during shortages (more on that another day).
Thirdly, we use hardware suppliers which can deliver. Even if it comes at additional cost, or the supplier is located on the other side of the world.
Exceeding Expectations
Our logistics optimisations often surprises customers, as highlighted by Xavier Deschuyteneer from Octal:
“The logistics capabilities of Open Broadcast Systems are remarkable. I’ve placed orders that arrived at my doorstep in Brussels by 8am the very next day. That level of reliability can be a game-changer for broadcast projects.”
Conclusion
In the deadline-driven broadcasting industry, the importance of logistics and shipping cannot be overstated. We exercise strict control over the shipping process because it is a critical aspect of our operations. We are not in the IT business and our customers depend on us to meet their important deadlines.
Learn more about the various turn-key hardware options we can provide (quickly): https://www.obe.tv/turn-key-hardware-solutions/
