Avnet

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 Avnet?

We engaged with Avnet to build our first hardware product. We wanted it to be in a box and a product that could be streamed to any number of current social media platforms in the world.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

The scope of the work was to develop, design, and launch a new hardware product. That involved packaging and labeling, component production, manufacturing, and more. We were soup to nuts with one of our customers — one of the largest social media platforms in the world — who was working with us to finish this hardware product. Overall, our main goal was to have a rack-mountable device that could be shipped anywhere and a product that meets our pricing requirements.

What is the team composition?

In total, we collaborated with 10–50 representatives from Avnet. We worked with an account manager and a number of subject matter experts (SMEs) in packaging, compliance, and purchasing.

How did you come to work with Avnet?

We went through an in-depth RFP and evaluation process with a number of companies. The process took almost 1 year. 

How much have you invested with them?

We spent six figures on the project. 

What is the status of this engagement?

Our collaboration ran from January–December 2018.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

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

We had many metrics we struggled candidly with, so we had a lot of variances from agreed-upon standard operating procedures (SOPs) and components that were difficult to obtain once we selected them. We also invested a lot in specific components, so changing them was expensive. Our failure rate was really high. Overall, Avnet didn’t meet the mark with everything. 

The Avnet team struggled during the engagement. Our volume — in fairness — was not high enough for them to put the right level of attention. We needed a different level of handholding and assistance because we didn’t really know what we were doing. 

How did Avnet perform from a project management standpoint?

The project management was really positive and I wouldn’t be able to say bad things.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their legal and compliance groups were really fantastic. We had a great partnership, and the team gave us ideas on how to do things and how to understand our problems. They also gave us incredible design work. Overall, we had a number of genuinely positive relationships with folks there. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

We had packaging and component problems. We also struggled with inconsistency in some areas, but I’d be really remiss not to mention the positives and negatives.

As soon as we started shipping, we faced issues. They definitely had good faith support for us, and they tried to make things work. However, we couldn’t make progress together. Overall, they had a difficult time on the execution part. 

It would be nice if they could have a boutique approach for smaller companies or projects. There would be a lot of folks who would launch their first hardware product, and if Avnet could provide a solicitation and evaluation of competitors, that’d be great.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Look for alignment with your vendor on your level of expertise, the level of support you need, and the volumes you realistically expect. Don’t let extremely happy or negative cases drive your decision-making.  Instead, be far more specific and realistic on scoping your procurement review.