Hello subsea humans! We want to share a quick update on the availability of our thruster and motor stock including the T500, T200, and M200. We are currently low or out-of-stock on these products due to some supplier issues and global geo-political issues. This has also caused a delayed launch date for the M500 Motor, which was previously slated for July-August. For transparency, we’re sharing the status here:
T500 Thruster Technical Issue:
For several months we’ve been dealing with an issue with one part arriving damaged from our supplier and further damage showing up during production. That’s making it very difficult to reliably produce thrusters. Here’s what we’re doing:
- We’re rolling out some design tweaks currently as a short-term solution.
- We’re working closely with our supplier on quality assurance to make sure we get good parts.
- We’re implementing long-term design improvements to make the T500 more robust and easier to manufacture.
We expect this issue to be largely resolved, but it has ripple effects and is compounded by the issue below.
T200, M200, and T500 Supply Chain Issues:
During ongoing tariff negotiations between the USA and China, China is holding shipments of rare earth materials and doing inspections that add 60-90+ days to shipments. We get rare-earth magnets from China (where 85% of all magnets are made) but our shipments have been held up since April. Here’s what we’re doing about that:
- We are working with our supplier to put pressure on shipments clearing inspection.
- We are attempting to have additional smaller shipments sent in the interim.
- Keeping an eye on the news for policy changes that might lead to resolution.
We know how important these components are to your work and we are doing everything we can to resolve these challenges as quickly as possible. Please check back here for continued updates. Thank you for your continued patience and support.
If you have any questions or need help adjusting plans, please don’t hesitate to reach out.