First shots!
over 7 years ago
– Thu, Nov 10, 2016 at 09:09:01 PM
Got some images of the first shots from the tooling in all the colors (including the new purple which you all voted to get in). They need to do some tweaks on the flow of plastic inside the molds (there's some sagging in some of the areas) and polish the finish up a bit, but we are finally moving along well!
Can't wait to get these out to you all! Happy gaming!
Chris
Tooling coming along well
over 7 years ago
– Mon, Oct 31, 2016 at 09:52:22 PM
Hi all-
I got the pictures below of the tooling process mid-last week, so it's good to see the project actually moving forward with real evidence this time. What you're looking at are the electrical discharge machining (EDM) cathodes that are used to create the tooling (mold) that forms the product. Essentially, they use these pieces to "zap away" the corresponding negative details of the Card Caddy into the piece of metal that will become the final tooling. There will be another half with the details of the other side of each part, but these are the more detailed pieces that needed to be done.
So, I could get my first shots by the end of the week and still maybe make the goal of getting production runs by the end of the month! Keep your fingers crossed - I am!
Thanks and happy gaming-
Chris
Production retry!
over 7 years ago
– Fri, Oct 14, 2016 at 12:17:00 AM
Here we go again! Feeling good about my new manufacturer and they are projecting I'll have parts in hand by the end of Nov! We'll see if that holds, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Pictures of the tooling and production process to come in the next weeks to confirm that it really is happening this time.
When I started this business, I thought that sales and marketing would be my biggest challenge, but those parts of the company are going pretty well. In fact, I've had to defer some big sales because the manufacturing part of the business has been so challenging. I sent out over 50 Requests for Quotes mainly to companies that specifically advertised that they did injection molding of toy and game parts in the small to mid-volume range. I got 5 responses. Three of them just stopped corresponding to me when I had some questions or clarifications on the quote. I guess the economy in the injection molding sector isn't as bad as other areas since so many of these companies just ignored a new business opportunity.
Anyway, things appear to be back on track - thanks once again for your patience and support!
-Chris
It's never good news when you have to wait...
over 7 years ago
– Fri, Sep 23, 2016 at 11:18:54 PM
Short story: I am pretty sure my manufacturer has been misleading me about the status of production. I haven't seen any evidence that they actually have completed the molds for my project. I am working to negotiate a refund from the manufacturer and will likely have to start from scratch with a new producer. Production of your rewards will still proceed, but will be delayed
Long story: Over the few months, I've been getting conflicting stories, and no real signs of progress on my production. I've been increasingly skeptical that anything was moving forward (I kept hearing the same excuse a few times - that they had to repolish the tooling, Chinese holidays shut them down, the shipping company going out of business, etc) so I demanded to see some pictures of the tooling and what they're doing. Another week went by, and I demanded again to see some pictures. Finally, below are the best of what I got:
If anyone can spot a feature of my product, please let me know so I can calm down, but in my opinion, these photos could have been anyone's tooling. My distinct impression is that they sent me these in the hopes that it would placate me for awhile longer.
But, I've had enough at this point. I am seeking a full refund of what I've paid to them. The president of the manufacturing company is supposed to call me later today and we'll discuss the options then.
So, that's what I know for now. I am collecting quotes from US-based manufacturers this time - it's more expensive but more certain. Production of your rewards is still my primary focus and although this is a big setback, I am confident that I will be able to product them.
Sorry for the bad news and the delay...every week, I kept feeling like the news would finally break for the good and it just kept getting worse. But I have a path forward and will stay focused on that.
-Chris
Re-production update
over 7 years ago
– Tue, Aug 23, 2016 at 11:49:51 PM
The re-production of the Card Caddies and accessories is continuing along, though more slowly than I'd like. They are working them in around other scheduled production runs, which slows things down overall. It's a bummer to be at the bottom of the list since my volumes aren't very big in the overall scale of things, but I am haranguing, harassing and hassling my production company as much as I can. I've also been pressuring them to air-ship a portion of the order when it's done so I can start getting some rewards out. If I can get them to pay then they should be getting here to the US in early Sept. I am thinking of offering an extra incentive - maybe an extra Card Caddy - if you're willing to wait for the ship via sea. Stay tuned and I'll provide a survey to get an idea of how many people would want to do that when I have a better idea of actual delivery times.
Since there's only so many times I can harass my manufacturer before getting on a blocked list, I've been keeping busy with sending out some care packages of Card Caddies (and snacks!) to military units deployed overseas. Here's one I sent out last week:
If you know of a forward deployed unit who would like some free Card Caddies, just let me know and I'll get some out to them!
Until the next update (and hopefully news that I have some ready to ship to you!) -
Thanks and Happy Gaming!
-Chris
