harryball
02-20-2010, 11:40 AM
Hey guys, thought I'd give everyone a reminder I'm still around. A combination of things like not having a lot of spare time have kept me away. It's been our slow season here so we've been busy with other things (Bill P. knows just what I'm talking about) and dealing with some personal issues. I just wanted to drop in (rather than just reading) and say hello.
The bot is still running strong and we enjoyed the Atlanta camp. Our first real sales of the season are beginning so if it's possible we'll get even busier. We've got some new bat house designs to release and thanks to Marty our new website is up and running though I need to tweak a few fixes and information in it.
A few observations:
Wow, the deals are really on the for sale forum. I hate two things about it: 1) I know a lot of those sales mean someone else is likely suffering this economy and 2) I'm not in a strong position to take advantage of any of them. Either I already have a version of what is forsale and I see no need to fix what is not broke or while I'd like it I can't justify the purchase or (most painfully of all) I just can't afford it right now.
I don't know the numbers but it appears Shopbot is still selling at least strong enough in this economy to be above the survivability threshold. I still field emails and calls from those that want to purchase a bot or have one and want to chat about ideas and opportunities. I hope everyone out there can hang in until some kind of real recovery hits the horizon. I'm concerned about the status of things once the "sugar high" of Federal stimulus passes.
There is chatter on the forum about the newest addition coming from Shopbot. This machine is suppose to fill the gap between a free CNC machine and the Buddy. I can't wait to see what it is. I'm hoping for something durable with a moving gantry with a mass low enough to run 3D work fast compared to the convential bot designs. That's just me though.
For the more efficient shops capable of delivering more cost effectively some real opportunities are out there. I've been contacted by several smaller contractors looking for more value for the things they need. One area is templates. Some contractors use templates for floor and stair case designs. They also need circles cut for overhead arches. I'm not interested in doing work for the sake of work but I understand that is not a luxury for everyone. For those out there looking for work, build a few samples relevant to what contractors do and get them to the Lowe's Depot Contractor Center.
Enjoy the journey and remember the first stop to happiness is contentment.
/RB
The bot is still running strong and we enjoyed the Atlanta camp. Our first real sales of the season are beginning so if it's possible we'll get even busier. We've got some new bat house designs to release and thanks to Marty our new website is up and running though I need to tweak a few fixes and information in it.
A few observations:
Wow, the deals are really on the for sale forum. I hate two things about it: 1) I know a lot of those sales mean someone else is likely suffering this economy and 2) I'm not in a strong position to take advantage of any of them. Either I already have a version of what is forsale and I see no need to fix what is not broke or while I'd like it I can't justify the purchase or (most painfully of all) I just can't afford it right now.
I don't know the numbers but it appears Shopbot is still selling at least strong enough in this economy to be above the survivability threshold. I still field emails and calls from those that want to purchase a bot or have one and want to chat about ideas and opportunities. I hope everyone out there can hang in until some kind of real recovery hits the horizon. I'm concerned about the status of things once the "sugar high" of Federal stimulus passes.
There is chatter on the forum about the newest addition coming from Shopbot. This machine is suppose to fill the gap between a free CNC machine and the Buddy. I can't wait to see what it is. I'm hoping for something durable with a moving gantry with a mass low enough to run 3D work fast compared to the convential bot designs. That's just me though.
For the more efficient shops capable of delivering more cost effectively some real opportunities are out there. I've been contacted by several smaller contractors looking for more value for the things they need. One area is templates. Some contractors use templates for floor and stair case designs. They also need circles cut for overhead arches. I'm not interested in doing work for the sake of work but I understand that is not a luxury for everyone. For those out there looking for work, build a few samples relevant to what contractors do and get them to the Lowe's Depot Contractor Center.
Enjoy the journey and remember the first stop to happiness is contentment.
/RB