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Audio Product Education Institute To Present Supply Chain & Sourcing Webinar

AES initiative focused on promoting audio product development education is set to host free online session to discuss supply chain and sourcing in the audio industry.
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The Audio Product Education Institute (APEI), an initiative of the Audio Engineering Society (AES) created to further the knowledge and skills of professionals involved in the development of audio products, will present the free webinar “Changes and Opportunities in Supply Chain and Sourcing – The Changing Global Dynamics, Managing Suppliers, Planning Your Options” on Wednesday, August 26 beginning at noon (12 pm) U.S. Eastern Daylight time. Go here to register.

In the webinar, Mike Klasco, CEO of Menlo Scientific and APEI chair of the Supply Chain and Sourcing education pillar, will address the methods, practices, economics and politics of the hardware, software and development services that go into every audio product produced. “Long-established relationships, trustworthy suppliers that know what we want and need, are losing their position as viable vendors,” explains Klasco. “Where do we go from here?”

Klasco will be joined by Dave Lindberg (CEO of DB Enterprises HK, Ltd.) and Dan Digre (president of MISCO Speakers, Oaktron Aerospace, and Warkwyn Labs, Greater Minneapolis-St. Paul). They will address the challenges in the supply chain caused by the rising cost of goods from China, the tariff wars, Hong Kong’s struggles, and the dynamics of the global pandemic. The emergence of new suppliers in Asia and what part of the audio business can brought back home will also be explored in detail.

“Over the last few decades we have all grown complacent with sourcing our products, or at least most of our components, from China,” says Klasco. “But running away to Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and other countries won’t help much as the key parts vendors for Southeast Asia (and beyond) are still in China. And those countries are all finding themselves bathed in the first waves of brands exploring their supply chain options. For sure, there are options, but it is going to take a lot of work getting through these times. Manufacturers cannot expect that samples will come from new vendors as quickly as they were used to back in the good old days,” adds Klasco.

The webinar will be followed by a live Q&A session with all three presenters. The Audio Product Education Institute will also host sessions across three days of the AES Show Fall 2020 Convention in October. Presentations will span all of APEI’s educational pillars: Interactive Voice Con; Supply Chain and Sourcing; Modeling and Measurement; Product Management; The Legal World; and Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Early Bird registration rates are available through August 31 at AESShow.com.

And go here to register for “Changes and Opportunities in Supply Chain and Sourcing The Changing Global Dynamics, Managing Suppliers, Planning Your Options” webinar.

Audio Engineering Society (AES)

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