Quote:
Originally Posted by mrnoble
I'd like to see it taper off from this year. I think they went a little too far, because everyone was excited by last year's result and wanted to participate. I think that teams without ties to the companies we rely on should continue, and maybe even step up the detail. Teams that pull resources from AndyMark, VexPro etc. would improve our experience by making sure the supply chain is intact.
No offense intended to either AndyMark or VexPro. The bots were great and we learned from them, and they are definitely doing everything they can to get parts out.
|
I read these posts suggesting that VexPro/AndyMark should NOT run a 72-hour build team (or 3...
) because it "affects" the supply chain for FIRST teams.
Exactly
ZERO of the supply issues we have had so far this season have had anything to do with BuildBlitz/Team AndyMark.
In fact, the only reason we were able to get our FIRST Choice orders from AndyMark in a timely fashion is BECAUSE of Team AndyMark's 72-hour build putting them in the shop instead of spending their weekend at home when the state of emergency was declared in the state of Indiana, preventing all the staff who were supposed to ship our FIRST Choice orders from getting to work.
VexPro is having some teething issues with a few parts because of crazy demand levels that nobody could have predicted. Paul Copioli (president of VexPro and long time 217 mentor -- so he knows what the demands of FIRST teams are like) himself said that in 2013, VexPro sold approximately 850 1/2" Hex VersaHubs. They had ordered in 3,000 to have in stock for the 2014 season, and sold them out in 18 days.
It's not lost on me, and it certainly shouldn't be lost on anyone else, that a 72-hour build run by these companies is self-serving. What better way to advertise your products than by showing exactly how they can be used to solve the current year's design challenge, 72 hours after kickoff?
I think what may have happened, though, is that this advertising effort worked a little TOO well on some products, and created so much demand that nobody could have predicted it.