- Availability
- I'm interested in some brackets, do you have some in stock?
Possibly, but probably not. You see, we've found that there is utterly NO standardization in the cubicle industry.
The width of the walls, the shape of the top cap, the construction inside the walls just under the top cap,
all vary WILDLY. To make matters
worse, the white boards, name plates, and anything else that is intended to be hung all have different mounting
designs. As such, it's really impossible to keep every combination in stock.
- Can you keep the more popular styles in stock?
We would, but there really isn't such a thing as a "most popular style." In fact, our biggest customers all have many
different cubicle styles in some buildings. As we make a set of brackets for a customer, we try to make some extra units
in case they need more in the future. If they don't, and they'll serve for another customer, we'll make them available.
- How long will it take to receive my parts once I place an order?
Naturally, it depends on how large and/or complex the order is, and how much work we're currently involved with.
But we strive to turn around your orders and get your parts to you as quickly as possible. Small jobs may take up to a
week, and large jobs may take three weeks or so.
- Ordering
- How do I pay for the parts?
We take Visa/Mastercard, and our corporate accounts may send us a purchase order, which we'll invoice upon
delivery of the parts.
- Is there an order form I can fill out?
Not yet, but we're working on one. You see below the types of things we'll need to know in order to
produce your products. Until the order form is completed, having either an email or phone conversation will ensure we
completely understand what it is you'd like us to make for you.
- What information do you need to make some brackets?
- A rough estimate of the weight of the item being hung
- The width of the cubicle wall
- Whether the cubicle cap is flat, rounded, or otherwise
- The desired "drop" from the top of the cubicle wall where the hanger should be
- A description of the mounting style of the item being hung
- The desired material for the brackets
- The desired finish/color of the brackets
- If possible, a drawing with specific dimensions, describing how the brackets should be made
- There's a choice of material and finishes?
Certainly! KC MetalCraft does custom work. You tell us what you want, and we make it. Typically the
brackets are made from aluminum, though sometimes stainless is used. The finish can vary- Aluminum brackets
are most often anodized, and that can be done in a variety of colors.
Stainless brackets can be electropolished, which makes them look almost like they're chrome plated. They can also
be buffed/brushed for a more subdued look. All brackets can be powder-coated, in about any color imaginable.
- How many do I need to order?
Typically we make brackets in batches of 50 to a hundred or more. You see, most of the effort in producing
the products is in machine setup. Since all of what we do is manual and individually tailored, it's not a matter of
turning a machine on, pressing "go," and getting a thousand parts to come out. Additionally, we are not a plating
shop. Anodizing, electropolishing, and powder-coating all has to be sent out. The shops which provide this service
have a minimum charge, and runs of under 50 or so can make the cost per part jump significantly.
- But what if I only need a couple?
In rare cases we'll make very small runs of parts. But that implies a few things:
- We already have metal cut to rough dimensions
- That it's to have a simple finish that we can do in-house
- If it's not a size we've already built tooling for, it may be slightly more expensive as it's
effectively prototype work.
If we happen to have some already produced in stock that will suit your needs, we'll make those available. But if not,
it simply may not be cost effective for us to do it unless we go to a time and materials pricing method (which would probably
make you go grey when you saw the invoice). If it took us two hours to make two brackets, they'd cost more money than
just about anyone would want to spend. Economies of scale really come into play when producing parts.
Still, if you need it and it doesn't exist anywhere else, the price may still be tolerable.
- Pricing
- Speaking of pricing, how much should I expect to pay for your brackets?
A good question, but one that's hard to answer without knowing specifics of what you want. Our white board brackets
have generally run from $12 to $15 per bracket (not per pair of brackets). We have also charged more and less for
brackets, depending on what was produced. Naturally, price discounts come into play as the volume of parts increases.
- Your parts seem more expensive than I'd see at a store. Why?
A couple of reasons. One, our products are made to order, to your exact specifications. When you buy something at a
store, you take what they have to offer, and hope that it suits your needs. Two, Since we make them by hand, instead of
slamming out a hundred thousand a day, there's a lot more labor involved. For larger runs of parts, we make tooling
to ensure that the dimensions are uniform. There's often times machining involved that the customer doesn't see.
Also, this is a small shop. Quite a small shop. Unlike the big factories that gear up to mass-produce things, we focus
on serving individual needs of our customers. As such, we need to have more margin in our pricing. If a company makes
a million parts, and nets a profit of just one dollar per part, they're getting a lot of capital to run their business.
We don't have those large orders, and thus our margin needs to be a little higher. We're not being greedy or
trying to exploit the fact that we may be "the only game in town." You see, it's not just the hourly wage of
the person making the parts that the cost of the parts pays for- It's all the other things that need to be
paid for in order for
us to keep our doors open. It costs us money to drive parts to and from platers, pay our utilities, pay for our
office work, etc. Honestly, it wasn't until KC started this shop that he had any idea of how much (that a
consumer doesn't see) goes into running a small business.
- Can't you automate the process to save me money?
The custom tooling mentioned above is about as close as we can get. You see, if all cubicle walls were the same, and
all the products hanging from them had the same mounting, then yes, it could be done. But someone else would have
already done it, and you'd see the products in a store. So basically, by the time KC MetalCraft is involved, you're
looking for something special.
- How do you justify the pricing?
This is actually pretty easy to do. If you could find what you're looking for on a store shelf, you'd buy it (and
we'd recommend that you do so). When you come to us, it's understood that we're making something for you that doesn't
exist anywhere. Producing something specific and unique always takes more effort (and thus costs more)
than to buy something that's produced by the hundreds of thousands. Additionally, our parts are frequently more efficient
than parts you'd find on a store shelf. Our white board brackets, for example, can have two hooks instead of just one (as
is available on the cheap plastic bracket you may have seen). So while our unit costs are higher, you need purchase only half
as many from us to get an equivalent number of hooks. This helps make custom work make economic sense.
- Environmental Concerns
- Do you use recycled materials?
Yes. Almost all of the metal we purchase is recycled. This does not mean that the
quality of the metal is sub-standard. Often the metal pieces we get are unused
scraps that are too small for larger shops to use.
- Do you recycle your scrap metal?
Absolutely. KC MetalCraft is a very environmentally-conscious shop.
When recycling metal, care must be taken to ensure that one type of
metal is not contaminated by another. KC MetalCraft takes great
care to keep the scraps and chips of different types of metal separate.
This can involve the complete cleaning of the machines between working with
different types of metals. It's a lot of extra work, but KC MetalCraft is
committed to reducing waste and landfill.
- Do you use environmentally-friendly chemicals?
Absolutely, when we use chemicals at all.
On those rare occasions when we're required to use unfriendly chemicals, we
dispose of the waste properly at hazardous materials stations.
We're conscious of the fact that
any chemicals thrown into landfill can leach into the soil and contaminate
ground water. At KC MetalCraft we believe that we all share this planet, and
we only "borrow" it for the short time which are our lifespans.
Damaging the earth serves no one.
To damage it through the careless purpose of saving time, effort and money is
nothing short of criminal.
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