[RE-wrenches] Enphase Recall?

[Mark Frye]

Here is my experience with bringing in the Enphase:
 
Week 0: First contact with a customer that can benefit from micro inverter
application (site visit); Check with vendor - out of stock with 2 week lead
time
Week 1: Develop design specificiation and bid incorporating Enphase micro
inverter; bid presentation
Week 2: Customer selects my bid out of a pool of three competevive bids,
other two bids string inverters, wants to sign contract and start work
immediately.
Week 2 plus One Day: Before contract signing check in with vendor; Enphase
still completely out of stock and lead time is now 12 WEEKS......shock,
heart attack, knowing I am going to lose the job (could have bid a string
inverter), how can I face my customer now?.....
 
....I ended up getting a line on the inverters I needed with a 6 week
leadtime, taking that to my customer and winning the job.  We are both now
waiting to see if the alternate vendor will deliver the product as promised.
 
The main thing that went thorough my mind was, "I thought we got over this
kind of thing with the module supply shortage, but it's deja vu all over
again."
 
Enphase may be diligent in managing quality during production ramp-up.
However, going from 2 weeks to 12 weeks leadtime in 2 weeks is no way to
manage customer expectation.
 
In my mind it's a black eye for Enphase. I am hoping that they will win a
feather back into their cap with an on time delivery of a stellar product.
 
Mark Frye 
Berkeley Solar Electric Systems 
303 Redbud Way 
Nevada City,  CA 95959 
(530) 401-8024 
 <http://www.berkeleysolar.com/> www.berkeleysolar.com  
 

  _____  

From: re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org
[mailto:re-wrenches-bounces at lists.re-wrenches.org] On Behalf Of Bill Brooks
Sent: Friday, June 19, 2009 2:58 PM
To: 'RE-wrenches'
Subject: Re: [RE-wrenches] Enphase Recall?



Peter and all,

 

The Enphase product is the only one of its kind on the market currently
(there will be more). Their sales are far beyond where they thought they
were going to be-good and bad news. Great for them to be confirmed in their
market prediction. Bad for the people who are anxious to get the product.

 

Many companies simply ramp up production and hope for the best. It is my
impression that this is not what Enphase is doing. They are trying to
carefully control production.

 

If you are making sales based on the benefits and availability of the
Enphase product alone, that is probably bad business. Until the Enphase
product is widely available, I would recommend that you continue to use the
product wisely in specific locations where it will clearly outperform any
other option. If you are using the Enphase product where another mature
available product will do, you are not using your head or applying the
limited quantity of available product wisely. 

 

Continue to move with measured caution. The product looks good, but it is
not a silver bullet. Don't push the company to make stupid mistakes and
overproduce-too many companies in the PV industry are doing that very thing
today.

 

Bill.

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