Arrow Electronics

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We’re a streaming video software and services provider. We’ve got more than 30,000 customers around the world, and we’ve been around for over 50 years. Our company is a long-standing global leader in live streaming solutions. 

Websites like Vimeo use us for their backend software. Broadcasters, sports leagues, and more utilize our services too. I’ve been in the company for more than nine years, and I've worked in a variety of legal and business operations roles. I currently hold responsibility for legal, HR, and partnerships.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Arrow Electronics?

Arrow helped us scale-out and better deliver a hardware product that we had recently developed.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We built and designed a hardware product with one of Arrow’s competitors, but that didn't work. As a result, we moved that our business over to Arrow. The team was in charge of procuring components and assembling them. Their other services included packaging and sending, as well as managing warranties on the backend.

What is the team composition?

We worked with a VP-level enterprise account manager and program managers. Overall, we collaborated with pretty senior folks from Arrow.

How did you come to work with Arrow Electronics?

We ran a broad review before we decided to engage with Arrow. I was also previously aware of their team. When our relationship with their competitor didn't work, we wanted someone who would be fairly similar, so that the switch wouldn’t be problematic. That way, we could transfer everything seamlessly. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent around $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Arrow from January 2019–January 2020.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We measured their work based on successful shipments and if our products were not damaged during their arrival to stakeholders. In connection with that, Arrow’s work didn’t meet our expectations; we had dead-on-arrival issues and boxes were not being built according to their specifications.  

How did Arrow Electronics perform from a project management standpoint?

We had a lot of problems and unfortunately, this would be a negative review. Despite that, we had a good partnership. Personally, I also had a positive impression of the company. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

In general, they had good people and program management. They also had a great understanding of what we were trying to get done. However, since we only needed a super low volume of our products, we had a lot of error rates and we needed to iron out the hardware. Overall, it was just genuinely tough.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could offer boutique services for smaller companies. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have a tight match on specific skillsets you need versus what Arrow could offer. There would be so many companies out there that could do some version of the work we did. Just make sure that you’d get a close match on what you really need.