Milestone achieved.
All of our product enclosures are now fabricated in-house to a higher standard than ever before. This transition has been taking place for about a year, when we began investing in new equipment, running prototype tests and becoming technically proficient in the new process.
We decided to do this for several reasons.
The first is cosmetic. The prior enclosures were made from Die-cast off-the-shelf boxes in standard sizes. Choosing one of the standard sizes was always a compromise. Building our own enclosures allows us to custom fit the sizes to our exact specifications.
The second benefit is cost. Starting with flat sheets of metal is far less expensive than off-the-shelf ready-made 3-dimensional boxes.
The third benefit is build time. We will continue to build small or large batches as needed, with much quicker turn around times than outsourcing.
We've also taken this opportunity to make a couple minor changes to the finish of each product. The biggest change is that we've decided to standardize (for now) on black enclosures with blue and white graphics. Doing this helps with brand recognition, and brings another cost savings; we can now buy certain supplies in larger number and take advantage of any bulk discounts.
At this point, you may be noticing a bit of a thru-line: Cost savings.
No doubt everyone is aware that small businesses in the U.S., such as ours, are in a cost crunch when it comes to restocking due to the current tax situation. While we already purchase as much of the supplies as we can from U.S. companies, and prefer to do so, the reality is there are some things that are either not available from suppliers in the U.S., or have very long lead times, or are simply too cost prohibitive without purchasing tens of thousands of units to receive discount pricing.
Luckily, the switch to new enclosures began before the increased taxes and uncertainty took effect. We did believe, at the time we began the transition, that there would be a bonus for greater competitive pricing; a cost savings that we could pass on to the customer. However, this cost savings comes at a very fortunate time and is what's actually helping us avoid a price increase for now.
We hope that you like the new look. Thank you for your continued support and the love you've shown for our products. We aim to be here serving you well into the future!