Harman Luxury Update

The impact of the coronavirus is far reaching. As the world continues to get updates from the Far East regarding the coronavirus and the impact it is having on the people living and working in many of the provinces of China, this virus is having a much broader impact on our industry, as well. We, like many other suppliers, are facing disruptions in the supply of components and metalwork made in China. Over 50% of all the world’s electronics components come from China.

It is not just a production problem. Even when the parts are available, there is no one available to pick them and ship them to us. Couple that with the fact that many airlines and other logistics partners have suspended service to and from China and you have an almost perfect storm. The impact of this interruption in Chinese supplies will depend on how long the quarantine lasts there and the amount of current inventory that is available once people start back at work. Even products assembled in the USA, like Mark Levinson, are suffering an impact due to the disruption of parts. Our much anticipated No.5101 Digital Audio Player is being delayed due to this virus.

We do have a contingency plan in place. While we continue to work with our sub-suppliers to get updates on their production schedule, we stand committed to offer YOU a comparable product, at a similar or higher value, as a substitute for a product that is being delayed, to help you deliver products on time and on budget to your customers. Contact your Harman Luxury Audio sales manager for details on availability and substitution options on impacted products.

Should you be worried about the virus being spread by receiving products from China? The answer is NO. Harman and our sub-suppliers have implemented safeguards to prevent this virus from spreading. Below are the controls we have put in place to safeguard our personnel and the products we are manufacturing.

Production controls:

• All production/test lab floors, machines, tools, fixtures, jigs, test equipment and workbenches must be 100% cleaned by sanitizing fluids before start of work

• All persons must be checked for temperature before entering the shop-floor/production line.

• All persons must wear rubber gloves and cleaned with sanitizing fluids before making contact with product during the assembly, test and packaging

• All bare units must be 100% cleaned by using qualified brand of sanitizing fluids before packaging.