When the clock is ticking and lead times grow longer, solid manufacturer/customer relationships are invaluable.

In his more than 35 years of telecom experience, senior product manager Greg Pierce has seen it all. He reflects in this episode of Fiber Focus on the state of the industry, especially how massive, AI-fueled demand is straining global manufacturing capacity for fiber optic cabling and connectivity products. This scenario is a familiar one for Greg, who offers some advice for customers navigating supply uncertainty.

He underscores the importance of working closely with trusted suppliers, proactively if possible, and having design flexibility. Solid communication, collaboration, and deep product portfolios enable a creative mix of in-stock and custom products to uniquely meet any given network’s requirements and project timetable. Tune in to this conversation to learn more.

Fiber Focus is a Sumitomo Electric Lightwave podcast. Subscribe, share this episode, and follow Sumitomo Electric Lightwave on LinkedIn and X.

Episode Links
Contact Us: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/contact-us/
Greg on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greg-pierce-4b977b10/
Meredyth on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meredythneilly

Connect with Sumitomo Electric Lightwave
Website: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sumitomoelectriclightwave

Previously on Fiber Focus, we discussed how artificial intelligence and machine learning are rapidly consuming the industry’s supply of high-performance, high-density network products. Loren Rapp dives deeper in this episode.

As Sumitomo Electric Lightwave’s product line manager for fiber optic cable, Loren has day-in and day-out supply chain experience. Listen in for her insights on the creative workarounds that customers can consider when demand is skyrocketing for particular products. For example, pliable ribbon cable, aka intermittent bonded ribbon (IBR) cable, is a precision-manufactured product optimized for the AI factory projects that are racing to ramp up around the world.

What is a customer to do when the IBR product specified on their BOM has a lead time that could result in costly delays? With a creative, collaborative approach, customers and manufacturers can keep projects moving forward together. Tune in to this conversation to learn more.
Fiber Focus is a Sumitomo Electric Lightwave podcast. Subscribe, share this episode, and follow Sumitomo Electric Lightwave on LinkedIn and X.

Episode Links
Regional Sales Managers: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/regional-managers/
Q102-M12+ Fusion Splicer: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/product/q102-m12-plus/
Splicing 200µm to 250µm Fibers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_8zdyjCxkQ
Loren on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/loren-vitter-rapp-a268a61a/
Meredyth on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meredythneilly

Connect with Sumitomo Electric Lightwave
Website: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sumitomoelectriclightwave

A July 2025 Synergy Research Group report projected that hyperscale capacity will increase threefold through the next six years. Josh Seawell, our director of product management, read about the report in Cabling Installation & Maintenance magazine and hopped on this episode of Fiber Focus to discuss it.

While hyperscalers are expected to represent the lion’s share of oncoming demand for fiber optic cabling and connectivity products, colocation providers and private network operators are participating in the AI boom with their own significant infrastructure investments. This demand can certainly strain the supply chain at times, but Josh encourages customers to be aware rather than concerned.

He details several examples of the creative approaches that SEL has taken with customers to troubleshoot extended lead times so they could get their networks up and running (and generating revenue) faster. “Creative” is the operative word. Tune in to this conversation to learn more.

Fiber Focus is a Sumitomo Electric Lightwave podcast. Subscribe, share this episode, and follow Sumitomo Electric Lightwave on LinkedIn and X.

Episode Links
Report Foresees Hyperscalers Dominating Worldwide Data Center Capacity: www.cablinginstall.com/data-center/press-release/55301410/report-foresees-hyperscalers-dominating-worldwide-data-center-capacity-by-2030
Regional Sales Managers: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com/regional-managers/
Josh on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-seawell-09770979/
Meredyth on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/meredythneilly

Connect with Sumitomo Electric Lightwave
Website: https://sumitomoelectriclightwave.com
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@sumitomoelectriclightwave