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http://www.pcweek.com/news/0617/18eibm.html I am sure the usual copyrights apply. The above URL is where this story comes from. > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > [PC Week Online] June 18, 1996 6:30 p.m. ET > IBM still suffering from severe > ThinkPad shortage > > By Charles Cooper > > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > > IBM is grappling with a severe shortage of > ThinkPads that a senior company official today > said may last until the end of the year. > > In an interview, William Amelio, the vice > president of re-engineering at IBM's Personal > Computer Co., said orders for the portable line > are approximately twice as high as the > company's ability to satisfy demand. > > Amelio, who said a new inventory management > process will kick in during the fourth quarter, > was guardedly optimistic about IBM's ability to > address the inventory imbalance earlier than > the end of the year. > > "We expect to get clear by Q3, but it's > difficult to tell," he said. Amelio added that > IBM is making 40,000 ThinkPad units every week. > > Amelio was given the charge to straighten out > IBM's manufacturing and procurement problems > earlier this spring after Joe Formichelli > resigned to take the helm at Hayes > Microcomputer Products Inc. He has since begun > implementing an ambitious program to rehaul the > Personal Computer Co.'s order entry and > inventory replacement procedures to eliminate > the periodic product shortages that have nagged > IBM over the years. > > "We came into this year with the idea to > increase our [market] share modestly," Amelio > said. "The idea was to get some traction to > allow us to capture back share and allow us to > dominate later. But this is the year of > execution." > > In recent weeks, resellers have complained > about the recurring ThinkPad shortages > > We can not get them at all through our regular > distributor channels. We have to get through > the gray market," said Lesley Lincoln, > president of Laptops Plus Inc. in Winter Park, > Florida. IBMs not the only one in that boat; > Toshiba and NEC [are bad as well]. AST is > getting better. Toshiba, NEC and IBM are the > three worst, and Compaq is close fourth. > > IBM is the worst of the bunch at preannoucning > before theyre ready. They love to fill back > orders. > > Wally Raymond, vice president of sales and > marketing at Laptop Superstore in Natick, > Mass., noted that Thinkpads have been in > allocation status for a while. In other words, > theres not enough for everyone to go around, > youve got to wait for your order to be > allocated. Theyre no different from Toshiba, > or NEC. Its the nature of the beast. Its [one > of] the hottest products out there, and > corporate America is screaming for them. If I > get one [a Thinkpad] its usually a surprise. > Additional reporting by Margaret Kane > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tom Kustner Emjay Corporation System/LAN Administrator 725 W. Glendale Ave. Email: emjay@execpc.com Glendale, WI 53209-6509 USA Any opinions are mine and not necessarily those of Emjay's.