Modos Manufacturing Update
almost 9 years ago – Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 08:31:28 AM

Dear Modos Backers,

This email is very difficult to write, but we do so in the spirit of transparency and honesty. We intend for you to have all the information about what’s happening with Modos, and how we are we are resolutely determined to overcome these temporary circumstances.

What it comes down to is our American manufacturer failed to produce our parts. They tried three separate extrusion runs with each of our 3 die shapes, and they just couldn't get the quality under control. 

We really wanted to produce in the United States, but everything we are being told (now) is that with extrusions, it is just not possible to get the quality we require in the States.

So, what we are doing about this?

At this point we're canceling the contract. The extruder agreed to refund all of our money. We have already started interviewing overseas manufactures.

In some ways it feels like we're back to square one. At the same time from this experience we have refined our knowledge of what level of extrusion technology it takes to produce these pieces. We can use this knowledge to make the next step happen without a hitch.

We are also a step ahead with overseas manufacturing. We have past prototypes from a Taiwan manufacturer that were on spec the first try. Also, we have two other manufacturers with whom we are already in discussion.

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Overseas manufacturing will have its own challenges. We may need to order more connectors than what we do not currently have orders for and importing has its own set of requirements that we will work through.

We will be highlighting these challenges with each of the vendors that we are reviewing. We will keep you up-to-date on the status for reviewing and contracting a new vendor.

We are terribly sorry for the delay this causes. We relied on the confidence of the vendor we contracted to get these parts done and delivered to us in a timely manner. That simply did not happen. Yet - WE WILL PERSEVERE!

We will be able to advise a new timeline as soon as we have a manufacturer selected. This we intend to have completed within the next six weeks. Regardless, we realize many of you would like more communication. Going forward you can expect an update the first week of every month, if not more often.

It has been and remains our commitment to complete the production of the connectors and to pair them with the furniture we've already made (for those who ordered it). Building this vision will no doubt continue to throw hurdles at us. But if this is what it takes to bring you beautiful, simple, modular furniture, we look forward to overcoming every hurdle.

We welcome comments. Also, if you happen to know a fantastic extruder somewhere in the world, please share it with us!

Thank you for continuing to share our vision!

Matt & Andrew

Expanding the Picture
almost 9 years ago – Tue, Jul 07, 2015 at 12:57:06 PM

Hi Kickstarters,

In this update, as with prior ones, we will focus on the connector manufacturing. We feel that focusing only on this aspect is not providing a rich enough topic for engagement. With long lead times in extrusion production there is time to engage with you more on topics that you may be interested in. In future updates we will take you behind the scenes on some of the other areas of business development Modos is undergoing, including manufacturing, design, sales and distribution. If you have a particular area of interest you would like to hear more about, please let us know, and we will take that into consideration. For now, let’s all go to Morocco!

 We have been vetting a manufacturer in Morocco. They have all the capabilities we need inhouse, and are currently verifying that they can meet our price points. To verify, they have agreed to test our finish requirements on parts shaped similar to the connectors. Our price points are based on both the quantities we are ordering now and a projection of quantities that we would sell in the future. Making these projections is an interesting exercise because it is a process of creating the future. It is important that we clearly and properly structure our product requirements and quantity assumptions so that we can hit our target pricing. There are market factors to consider as well, like the ever fluctuating price of aluminum, that we will have to manage in the contract going forward. This will have a major impact on price, since the price per pound has varied from $0.75 to $1.25 in the last five years, and each connector weighs ~¼ lbs.

These are the types of things we are discussing with the each of the manufacturers as we verify their ability to produce our parts. We intend to know if Morocco is an option before the next update. Our next update will cover news with manufacturing and potentially other topics related to Modos business development. If you have any particular topics you want to hear about, let us know. In the meantime, if you have any particular insight toward ethical considerations of manufacturing or sustainability standards in Morocco, please point us towards good information. We are developing a set of social and environmental standards as a next step in vetting our manufactures, and we’d love your input. Again, thank you for staying with us on this journey.

Sincerely,  
Matt & Andrew  

Manufacturing Update
almost 9 years ago – Tue, May 19, 2015 at 02:51:01 PM

Hello Modos Supporter,

I wanted to be in touch to let you know where we stand with our Modos manufacturing.

As of last week, our manufacturer ran a batch of connectors, extruding the aluminum through the dies. Frustratingly for all involved (including you), the parts didn't come out to the design specifications. This means our manufacturer now has to make more modifications; they have rescheduled another run in approximately two weeks. Essentially, they did not meet the tolerances for the American standard for extrusions, meaning they did not produce something that was up to the specifications of what we agreed upon and what I expect of Modos.

I can only imagine how frustrating this must be for you, my valued supporters. I know that you took a leap of faith to back Modos, and I want you to know that I, too, am frustrated with the unforeseen manufacturing-based delays which I have been battling for the last several months. With that said, I am committed to seeing this project through and making sure you receive the product as you saw it in our video.

As always, please be in touch with any concerns or questions. And again, I thank you so much for your support, understanding and ongoing patience. Please know that I appreciate you and your feedback.

Sincerely,

Matt Tyson

Modos Production Update 2
about 9 years ago – Fri, Mar 27, 2015 at 07:58:37 AM

We are insanely close to getting Modos manufactured and finished exactly how we want it to be. Here are pictures of the latest samples with last few kinks to work out... Tolerances are good, extrusion billets are ordered, and they will start squishing out connectors in the next few weeks!!!

OMG. Sorry it took so long for us to wrestle this beast to the ground, but it’s coming!

Modos early adopters, are insiders to our process. You bought a piece of the future, that we are ushering to life. We really didn't expect it to take this long (in fact we were told, just as we told you, that it wouldn't take even half this long...).

Modos Furniture’s innovation, at its core, is based on social and ecological responsibility. We don't push this message too hard, because, well, we think that's just how things should be. When we constructed the Kickstarter campaign, we were faced with 2 options, manufacture in the US, or go overseas. We chose the US. The first impact was clear to us; our margins disappeared. But hey, it's a Kickstarter. We are trying to get this product off the ground, with the support of people who believe in us. We thought the benefits of manufacturing in the US were obvious and outweighed the costs. The benefits: 
- supporting the American economy via manufacturing jobs
- easier communication
- no hold ups in customs
- less risks in general
- controlling our intellectual property.
- what we didn't expect was really slow service

You see, we've been working on the Modos connectors for a while, and we've prototyped them overseas before, in Taiwan. The service was incredible. The pricing was great. The samples came quickly and we had only good options on the table. The catch, of course, with international manufacturing is customs. It’s typical for a shipment, especially a new product, to get held up for days, weeks or months in customs. It can add a lot of expense and frustration if that happens.

At this point, we're going to stay with our US manufacturer to complete the Kickstarter, but we are really torn about what to do after the delivery of the Kickstarter.

I want to hear from you.

Should we manufacture in the US? Is it important to you? Why? Leave a comment.

Below is what we're dealing with this week. 

Sincerely,

Matt & Andrew

Modos Production Update
over 9 years ago – Fri, Dec 26, 2014 at 11:38:01 AM

Hey Modos Backers,

Happy Holidays! 

As I mentioned in the previous update, I will be not be able to deliver in 2014. Even though Modos is delayed, we do have progress. The custom made, prefinished, sustainably harvested sheets of plywood from Columbia Forest products have been delivered, cut and routed. And they look great!

I have received connector finishing samples from the extrusion manufacturer. I sent them unfinished prototypes, and they sent me back samples of how the connectors will look with their finishing methods and equipment. We are very close to having an approved finishing sample.

The manufacturer has made the three extrusion molds for the Modos connectors (M1, M2, and M3). They will be extruding aluminum samples through each mold, where we will then check tolerances based off my designed specifications. Once the molds are able to produce to spec, we will enter full production, and I'll provide you with delivery dates. I expect connector production to happen throughout January. 

Talk to you soon. Thank you again for your patience.

Sincerely, Matt