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News & Events

NAS Digest - May 2021

Welcome to first edition of NAS News for 2021.

This time last year the world as we know it changed. We all knew people who lost their jobs. Your favourite café or gym may have closed down and your long-awaited holiday cancelled. One year on, business and consumer confidence are rebounding, the property market booming and the historically low interest rates show no immediate signs of increasing. Many of our customers have traded very well over the past 12 months. We are, at present, well and truly the lucky country (and some may say, a lucky industry).

In this edition I will report on some new additions to our team, two wonderful community service initiatives undertaken by NAS associates, some new product announcements and as usual I will also provide links to some industry, technology and economic articles.

I trust you enjoy the digest.

Best regards,

John Kimbell

NAS Operational

New Team Members in Brisbane!

The NAS Team would like to welcome two new members to the fold.  Guy Ferriere (Security Products Business Development Manager) and Shane Riddington (Internal and Counter Sales).  As you can see from the brief bio’s below, both Shane and Guy are industry professionals and bring decades of experience to our team.  Welcome aboard guys (pardon the pun)!

Guy Ferriere

I have over thirty-five years of service and sales management experience in the Electronics industry providing sales and marketing to distribution and vendor/manufacturers.

After graduating from RMIT in Melbourne as an Electronic Engineer, I spent most of my working career as an Integrator running my own security and home automation business offering sales, project management and technical support on Intrusion, CCTV, access control and video intercom products.

Since that time, I have worked as a Business Development Manager for some of the well-respected Security Wholesalers in Melbourne supporting and utilising my knowledge and experience for the benefit of my customer base. In 2017, my wife and I decided to move to Queensland to start a new adventure. I have again taken on a new challenge joining NAS Australia is the newly created role of Business Development Manager - Security. I look forward to building the Security Division with the NAS Team and to being a part of this well-established Company.

Shane Riddington

Hejsan Allihopa (Hello Everybody),
My name is Shane Riddington and I am the new(ish) internal sales/trade counter salesperson located at NAS Australia Newstead.
My background is in Technical Production in particular lighting and rigging and have been doing this for about 30 years now.
I lived in Sweden for over a decade and Iceland for about 5 years and have recently returned to Australia to live in Mt Isa for a while but am back in Brisbane now.
I have always had a technical background and look forward to helping you.

Price Rise Notification

We are living in tumultuous times. COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on the cost of raw materials. As reported on the London Metal Exchange (Table 1), year to date Copper has increased by 28.45%, Steel by 27.06% and Aluminium by 22.19%.

Soaring raw material costs are not the only headwind overseas manufacturers are facing. A shortage of shipping and airline capacity has dramatically increased freight costs. The cost of some of our shipping container deliveries have doubled since the start of 2020.

NAS Australia has absorbed all of these cost increases for the last sixteen months, however some of our local suppliers have implemented immediate price increases. Unfortunately, effective immediately we will adjust the pricing of certain items in our locally sourced masting/mounting range. Some prices have increased, whilst some prices will remain the same. Moving forward, we will do our very best to limit price increases, but we may adjust pricing without notice on items received at increased cost.

Over the next few weeks we will review our entire price list and will release an updated version on Monday the 17th of May 2021.

In the interim, we may not be able to honour previously negotiated special/bulk pricing.

Should you have any questions please contact your NAS sales representative, closest NAS branch or email our sales team: sales@nasaustralia.com.au

I thank you for your understanding and continued support.

John Kimbell

Wiseman’s Ferry Computers Donations

I would like to report the wonderful community service provided by NAS Customer’s Adrian and Jan Jackson of Wisemans Ferry Computers. Adrian has been travelling to numerous NSW South Coast communities over the past 12 months, volunteering his technical services and donating receive equipment to those who lost their homes in the 2020 Bushfires.  Adrian has supplied and installed numerous refurbished VAST Satellite TV systems over the last year. The team at NAS have assisted Adrian by donating excess refurbished Altech UEC decoders for use in the systems. Unfortunately for Adrian, he was in hospital when the recent NSW Flood waters rose and he lost stock, vehicles and many belongings that were stored under his house.  Life is not fair at times and we send our best wishes to you Adrian and hope you are back on your feet soon.
Adrian and Jan, the team at NAS ‘take our collective hats off to you both’ and are proud to be associated with such selfless community minded people.

Jess Evans Swim Result

Having previously supported Jess Evans in her Black Dog Lap swim last year when she swam around Moreton Island and raised $30,000 for the Black Dog Institute, team NAS Australia were proud to support Jess in her latest charity swim.  Jess became the first person to swim around Bribie Island, and at the same time, Jess raised $15,000 for the RU OK suicide prevention organisation.

More information on Jess and her wonderful swim can be accessed here:
https://www.moretondaily.com.au/news/wild-weather-cannot-stop-jess

2021's Connected Most Popular Awards

The voting for the Connected Magazine "Most Popular Awards 2021" is now open!

If you're happy with our service, let us know by voting NAS Australia #1 in the Connected Most Popular awards!

Connected (formerly Connected HOME) is a widely read industry magazine that covers all of the news in Commercial AV, IoT and Smart Home in Australia and latest trends from around the world.

Connected's Most Popular Awards have showcased the best and brightest products, vendors and services every year.

NAS Australia's brands and reputation have featured well in past surveys. We'd love you to have your say, especially if you have views on NAS products or services.

Last year NAS Australia came in 3rd place with 7.7% of the vote in the hotly contested Most Popular Residential Distributor. If you have the time I would very much appreciate you getting on-line and voting #1 for NAS and the brands we represent.

Vote for NAS Australia for:

55. Residential Distributor

56. Commercial Distributor
 

Vote Here

NAS Product News

Purchase your Hills Antenna equipment from NAS Australia

Please be advised that all NAS Australia Branches have access to the entire Hills Antenna stock range.  Should you choose to purchase Hills and would like to buy locally off NAS, call your closest NAS Branch or Sales Representative for price and availability.

See all the NAS Branch Contact Details here.

Tiandy moves up two spots to #7 in the ASMAG 2020 Global Security Rankings

As Tiandy’s sole National Distributor, the team at NAS Australia is proud to report that Tiandy rose from its 2019 #9 ranking to #7 in the ASMAG 2020 Global Security Rankings.

With over 25 years of experience in the surveillance industry, Tiandy Technologies has built a solid reputation as a vendor of highest quality products with proven reliability.  Cutting-edge technology in combination with simple design and dependable construction ensure rapid and fault-free installation minimising labour and implementation costs. Tiandy maintains an impressive ecosystem of responsible partnerships and is a socially and environmentally friendly company.  If you would like to know more about this progressive range of CCTV products, please contact any of our security pillar specialists Tim, Guy or Lyndon for more information.

Tiandy IP Wi Fi Bullet and Dome Kits

Tiandy 2MP IR Dome and Bullet Wi-Fi Kits are available now! Consisting of 4 x 2.8mm Wi-Fi Dome or Bullet IP Cameras and a 4 Ch Wi-Fi NVR, depending on your recording requirement, just add the hard Drive size needed.
Both the Wi-Fi Dome and Bullet camera options will be sold separately can be added to new or existing hard wired systems via the client’s router.  

Tiandy's New Color Maker

Introducing Tiandy's latest innovation, the Color Maker series.

These 4MP cameras have integrated white lights for full illumination and colour surveillance footage, without the need to rely on ambient lighting from the surrounding area.

See the light, give Tiandy a try.  Backed by the NAS Security team, we will ensure your transition to Tiandy is a seamless and rewarding process.

The New DSD 4921RV Mounting Brackets!

Protect your Altech UEC 4921RV from the rigours of the road or little hands with these specially designed aluminium brackets. Ideal for mounting to below a shelf, inside a cupboard or directly behind a TV, and even in Caravans, Mobile Homes and RVs. Keep your precious equipment safe on the road or at home.

Italian Made Outdoor Mobile Phone Antennas

We are pleased to announce a new range of Italian made Outdoor Log Periodic Mobile Phone Antennas are now available at NAS Australia.  Log Periodic antennas are ideal reception antennas of GSM, DCS, UMTS, LTE and WLAN signals.
NAS Australia has partnered with our Italian log-periodic antenna manufacturer to introduce some great Emme Esse models of 4G/5G/LTE antennas for the Australian market.  Specifically intended to use for home and business base stations (CelFi) and LTE data modems (eg. Teltonika) when signal is weak and higher antenna gain is necessary to optimise the data speeds these services offer.  Covering the entire cellular bandwidth (698~3800MHz) and available in high gain (long) and medium gain (short) in SISO (single) and MIMO (pairs), there's a Emme Esse LTE antenna that's perfect for the job.  Built in a highly automated computer-controlled production facility, these antennas are of the highest quality, yet at a surpisingly low price.  Check with your local branch or sales rep for more information about model pricing and availability.

Fully stocked Sanus & Secura

As I am sure you are aware, increased TV sales since COVID have led to increased bracket sales.  In an attempt to ensure we have stock of the market leading Sanus and Secura range of brackets when you need them, we have increased our branch stock holding to an estimated 60 days stock on hand.
More information on the Sanus and Secura ranges can be found:

www.sanus.com/en_AU/products/mounts/

www.secura-av.com/en_US/

NAS News

FTA/Pay TV

Nine Programs To Return To WIN In New Affiliate Deal.

“Media billionaire Bruce Gordon will continue his push for a Nine Entertainment Co board seat after securing rights to air its programming in regional markets, in a move that triggered a steep fall in the share price of current affiliate Southern Cross Media.”
“Mr Gordon is Nine’s largest shareholder with a 14.94 per cent stake held in his investment vehicle Birketu. The deal will allow Mr Gordon’s WIN Corp network to broadcast programs such as Married at First Sight and The Block in regional markets. But the news hit shares in Nine’s existing regional broadcast partner Southern Cross Media Group, which closed 10 per cent lower at $1.97.” 

The complete article can be downloaded here:

www.smh.com.au/business/companies/nine-to-return-programs-to-win-in-regional-areas-20210312-p57a29.htmlSecurity

Regulatory Reforms Are Coming For FTA TV.

“The federal government has proposed a number of media reforms to support the free-to-air TV industry hit hard by the pandemic.”
“Communications minister Paul Fletcher says the reforms are needed to keep up with the digital era and help TV networks which are suffering from declining advertising revenue due to COVID.”
“The proposed measures include:

  • Offering commercial broadcasters the choice to operate under a new kind of commercial television broadcasting licence, with a reduced regulatory burden provided they agree to move at a future point to using less radiofrequency spectrum;
  • Promoting the public interest by using proceeds from freed-up spectrum to invest in Australian news and screen content;
  • Introducing an Australian content spend obligation on video-on-demand services; and
  • Formalising the role of national broadcasters as key providers of Australian content.”

The complete article can be accessed here:

www.adnews.com.au/news/regulatory-reforms-are-coming-for-fta-tv

Technology

China's Top Chip Company Speaks of Massive Silicon Shortage Felt Around the Globe.

“The effects of the global semiconductor drought became more apparent this week amid a rise in purchases brought on by reduced COVID-19 anxieties.”

“The depth of the crisis was highlighted by Zhou Zixue, chairman of China's top silicon-slinger Semiconductor Manufacturing International Company (SMIC). Speaking at industry event SEMICON China, he said the tech industry is ‘suffering its worst-ever chip supply crunch, as demand eclipses supply.'" 

The complete article can be viewed here:

https://www.theregister.com/2021/03/18/silicon_shortages/

$80bn Unexpected Economic Crisis About To Hit.

“If you thought the Suez blockage was bad for world trade, you ain’t seen nothing yet. A new shortage is looming and Australia is underprepared.”
“The blockage of the Suez Canal by the container ship Ever Given is estimated to have cost the global economy some $13 billion.”
“The Egyptian Government wants a billion dollars from the ship’s owners just for the trouble it caused.”
“But the Ever Given’s undoubted shock to world trade is not the only crisis engulfing the global economy.”
“Another item suddenly threatening financial upheaval is as small as its impact is large.”
“Around $80bn has already been wiped off the global bottom line of car companies alone because of an unexpected worldwide shortage of semiconductor chips.”

“The worry is the economic damage could get far worse than that. Scores of jobs might be lost and the price of phones, console, cars and other everyday items could rise.”

The complete article can be viewed here:

www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/80bn-unexpected-economic-crisis-about-to-hit/news-story/2e09eebafc557ef53e6cdd8d22703ce1

Elon Musk’s Starlink Poised To Shake Up Australia’s Broadband.

“He’s disrupted the car and battery business, the space business, and has helped make cryptocurrency mainstream.”
“Now businessman Elon Musk stands on the cusp of upsetting Australia’s broadband business by providing internet from space through thousands of satellites passing in low Earth orbit.”
“Starlink, a division of SpaceX, is rolling out a constellation of thousands of satellites to provide space-based broadband on Earth. Nearly every time a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches, it carries more Starlink satellites with it.”

The complete article can be accessed here:

www.smh.com.au/business/companies/elon-musk-s-starlink-poised-to-shake-up-australia-s-broadband-20210325-p57e07.html

Economy

The impact of the removal of Jobkeeper at the end of March has not had the severe adverse impact on the economy as many (including me) predicted.
Economist predictions varied from 100,000 job losses on the low side to 250,000 jobs on the high side. Many businesses no longer need the support, but there are still many others that have been heavily reliant on it.  Whilst the Australian economic recovery is well under way (as evidenced by the articles that follow), what is not known is how many of these job losses will be absorbed and how quickly.

The federal government recently announced that they will spend an extra 1.2 billion dollars to assist trade businesses to hire more apprentices and trainees.  They hope that this will lead to 70,000 more apprenticeships in the near future.  Coupled with the recent targeted support of many tourist locations, one would assume that governments will continue to shift the financial deck chairs and provide targeted stimulus moving forward.

NAB Business Survey Shows Economic Conditions Continue To Gain Momentum.

“A quarterly business survey has found firms believe the nation’s recovery from the pandemic is still gaining momentum.”
“Latest research from one of the nation’s major banks has revealed businesses remain confident the economic recovery from COVID-19 is still improving.”
“NAB Economics’ first quarterly survey for 2021 has revealed strong revivals across several sectors, with firms suggesting conditions and confidence in the economy is still gaining momentum.”
“Both the business conditions and confidence indexes improved over the quarter to 17 points respectively.”

“NAB chief economist Alan Oster said the economy had reached an important milestone where capacity utilisation rates – the measure of a firm’s productivity – are suggesting the level of activity in the economy is trending upwards.”

The complete article can be accessed here:

www.news.com.au/finance/economy/australian-economy/nab-business-survey-shows-economic-conditions-continue-to-gain-momentum/news-story/79c5f5c38b5977886dd685c5d857e225

International Monetary Fund Tips COVID Will Leave Less Economic ‘Scarring’ Than GFC.

“The economy is tipped to stage a major comeback this year after contracting sharply in 2020, with COVID-19 expected to leave fewer scars than the GFC.”
“The global economy is forecast to bounce back in a major way this year thanks to government stimulus measures and an expected vaccine-powered recovery, but the efficacy of the jabs as new mutant strains emerge will be critical.”
“That’s the view of the International Monetary Fund, which released its latest outlook on Tuesday night, saying it estimated the world economy contracted by 3.3 per cent in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic took its toll.”
“The figure is better than the IMF projected in October and January, reflecting higher-than-expected growth in the second half of the year for most regions after lockdowns were eased and as economies adapted to new ways of working.”

“This year, the IMF is projecting the global economy will grow at 6 per cent, moderating to 4.4 per cent in 2022, which is again stronger than it previously thought, reflecting additional fiscal support in a few large economies and the impact of the vaccine rollout.” 

The complete article can be accessed here:

www.news.com.au/finance/economy/world-economy/international-monetary-fund-tips-covid-will-leave-less-economic-scarring-than-gfc/news-story/2da0e933d4472c60735d1da7a095c8eb

Fed Expects To Keep Its Key Interest Rate Near Zero Through 2023

“The Federal Reserve foresees the economy accelerating quickly this year yet still expects to keep its benchmark interest rate pinned near zero through 2023, despite concerns in financial markets about potentially higher inflation.”

“With its brightening outlook, the Fed on Wednesday significantly upgraded its forecasts for growth and inflation. It now envisions the economy expanding 6.5 per cent this year, up sharply from its previous projection in December of 4.2 per cent. And the Fed raised its forecast for inflation by the end of this year from 1.8 per cent to 2.4 per cent after years of chronically low inflation.” 

The complete article can be accessed here:

www.brisbanetimes.com.au/business/the-economy/fed-expects-to-keep-its-key-interest-rate-near-zero-through-2023-20210318-p57bqj.html

Performance of Construction Index - March 2021

“Australian PCI® hits a record high in March 2021.”
“The Australian Industry Group and HIA Australian Performance of Construction Index (Australian PCI®) rose by 4.4 points to 61.8 points in March 2021 (seasonally adjusted). This was the strongest monthly result in the history of this data series (commencing in 2005). Results above 50 points indicate expansion in the month, with higher results indicating a stronger pace of expansion.”
“All four components of activity in the Australian PCI® expanded strongly in March 2021 (results well above 50 points, seasonally adjusted), even though the activity index moderated by 3.7 points to 57.7 points. The indexes for new orders, employment and supplier deliveries all hit record highs, as house builders nationwide scrambled to commence residential projects as soon as possible in order to meet the final HomeBuilder deadline. Capacity utilisation surged up to 81.3% in March, towards its recent high in December. Residential builders continued to report high levels of customer inquiries, orders and requests to 'commence as soon as possible' through March. Conditions were positive but slower in apartment building, commercial building and engineering construction.” 

The complete article can be accessed here:

www.aigroup.com.au/resourcecentre/economics/performance-indicators/PCI/