A nearby resident has posted this photo from the neighborhood and asked about it so I've made it into a meme. 😁
That got me thinking about our reliance on tech hardware and the potential supply chain challenges. Many of us remember the scramble for webcams and GPUs in 2020 - would the current trade disruptions bring similar risks for IT teams?
Here is a list of items tech teams use and may become scarce or more expensive until reshoring occurs:
👉 Laptops & Monitors: ~80 % of them are made in east Asia. It seems only some HP and Dell models are made in Mexico.
👉 Peripherals: Mechanical keyboards, mice, call center headsets, barcode scanners, and webcams seem to be low‑margin gear built where costs are lowest, and most of those countries are now under heavy tariffs.
👉 Essentials: USB‑C cables, chargers, docking stations, lithium‑ion batteries.
👉 PC Components: GPUs, motherboards, SSDs.
👉 Smart‑Home/IoT: Routers, smart bulbs, LEDs, security cams require chipsets from overseas.
💬 What is on your list to secure against the ongoing shifts in supply chains?
Having said that, I would not be surprised to see some of the manufacturers over there cutting their prices in half to counterbalance tariffs of more than 100%. Their margins will probably allow it.
🤔 Trying to see the ramifications:
How might tariffs or trade shifts impact IT budgets? Should companies start budgeting for potential cost increases (say 20%?) or other scenarios?
If it becomes difficult to acquire tablets, how much will that affect Field Service Lightning adoption, for example?
During Covid's shortage of laptops Salesforce had 80% of their outsourced team use desktops at home.
Could now be the time for greater use of Code Builder + Chromebook?
Consulting companies often ship loaner gear to new hires/contractors - maybe it will make sense to just buy the laptops at their country of origin.
That is, if they have lower tariffs - most of the countries out there have significant tariffs and some even higher than the US.
