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Temporary Case Order Suspension [Canceled]

15K views 193 replies 62 participants last post by  Deedaz 
#1 ·
Update: 1/19/17: Custom orders have resumed.

* * *

As many of you are already aware, our lead times have been gradually increasing over the last several months. They are now at a point where they are likely to go beyond eight weeks and we consider that unacceptable. This is largely due to the tremendous influx of orders from the government and reseller channels, both of whom have long term delivery commitments. Because of that activity, reliable prediction of individual case shipments has become impossible. We felt that was creating a significant customer service issue.

Starting August 1st, our cases will temporarily only be sold only through our approved resellers. The one exception will be the Bullet series, which will continue to be sold on our website. Parts and accessories will also remain available. The scheduled two-tone run will go as planned, but was pulled in a month early to meet the cutoff date.

While we look for ways to stabilize individual case orders, we will likely return to the Quick-Ship program when time permits, possibly with some additions. Shipping from stock as inventory becomes available will assure that we don't overcommit. We hope to return to custom ordered cases soon, but have no timetable for it at this time. R&D will continue to move forward.

I had always hoped that we could do both, but large numbers of custom orders have created very difficult manufacturing logistics. They have defied any type of conventional solution that would be available to us. Hopefully, this will give us a chance to reassess our procedures in hopes of finding a better solution.

On a personal level, this was a very difficult decision and one that probably took too long to make. I was convinced that there had to be another solution, but none was forthcoming. No one wants to disappoint their customers, but failing customer expectations was simply unacceptable.

More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Our authorized resellers can be found HERE

Thank you,

Jim Keating
CaseLabs

UPDATE 8/23/16: We will be doubling production capacity over the next 60 days. It was quite a trick to pull that off with the constraints we had, but well worth the effort. Heavy machinery will be in transit soon and we're making major modifications to the production area for all of it as well as an expanded powder coating line.

We have started the process of bringing in additional personnel and training them as well as an additional production supervisor.

Finally, we will begin implementation of a new ERP system to better manage production and scheduling. It will take some time to have fully operational, but is an essential item if we are going to continue to grow. The old system clearly failed us when we were seeing a rapid rise in orders.

This was a major commitment for us, but we are determined to provide the best service we can. None of this is an overnight fix, but we should start seeing significant improvement in Q4 of this year. Quick-shop cases are expected to return by November, possibly late October. We still don't have a time frame for custom orders. In order to work without the issues we experienced in the past, they will have to be successfully integrated into the new ERP system so that we have an accurate picture of inventory and workload requirements.

I very much appreciate all the support we have had from the community. We'll do our very best to earn that every day. Thank you!
 
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#7 ·
sorry i disagree seross.

i dont see how TOO much business is a bad thing

does it suck for us yes. but it shows, that if you innovate, and take pride in your work and make quality products, there is a very large market for it.

this is a temporary setback. not a permanent roadblock

i for one, am thankful for the 5 ( FIVE ) CL i have. and frankly i am thinking about a sixth and possibly a seventh and eighth.

i want CL to make a very very basic aircooled server chassis ( not server IE 1u, 2u, ect but MATX and better ( ie quick connect ) HDD cages and several hdd support ( at least 12 preferably 18-20) in a smallish package ( RIP matx nova ) in other news seriously debating about doing it in my tx10, as lets face it. it IS the perfect chassis for this
 
#8 ·
Big picture, this is a good problem to have. In the end, it will probably result in a solution that allows everyone to get their cases quicker.

Sometimes, you're running so fast that you end up carrying your bicycle because you don't want to stop and get on it.

In the end, stopping to get on the bike is the right call.
 
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#12 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Groo21 View Post

Big picture, this is a good problem to have. In the end, it will probably result in a solution that allows everyone to get their cases quicker.

Sometimes, you're running so fast that you end up carrying your bicycle because you don't want to stop and get on it.

In the end, stopping to get on the bike is the right call.
Indeed. Jim and I talked a LOT this past weekend and discussed many ideas to get things back on track.

Some tough decisions will probably have to be made, but in the end, getting a plan in place that doesn't just work for the short term, but to prevent (as foreseeable as possible) this from happening again in the future is extremely important.
 
#13 ·
Tough decisions usually mean consumers lose.

I don't mind a 2 month lead time. I think it is more then fair. I would rather wait longer with more options then less options less time

For example all black cases are meh at best. Maybe a large portion of orders are black but I want more color options. I always want more color options. It is better for consumers.

In the end I wonder if cl does need to expand to stay open/maintaining standards

(Not trying to be an ass about it just have a real conversation)

The thing about cl that was awesome was quality, support, custom stuffs. Be that colors/ finishes, parts, custom cases.

Since I started with cl they never did custom and frankly they keep cutting back.

Number of cases offered, number of colors,now no custom colors at all ( this part this color that one that color ) and for a long time no custom work at all.

While the other 2 are still there (cust Service and quality ) the rest seems to be going away. Frankly i am sad. I don't know if this continues IF my next case will be a CL case =/
 
#14 ·
We haven't ruled out a return to custom orders, but it may take some time.

What I would expect to see is an updated and expanded Quick-Ship program with more choices (including colors). We also plan to gradually expand the accessories, so that an even greater amount of customization can be achieved.

One thing was certain, the current system had finally reached its end. Even if I had the million dollars we would need for expansion, that would only be the "easy" part of it. Training staff has become incredibly time-consuming and as we added new models the process got stretched further. Now that we will will be having a more aggressive roll-out of new models, it will become nearly impossible. The final issue is that because of the one-off custom nature of the orders, they couldn't be managed with a modern shop floor control system. The scheduling and production management procedures were pretty crude by today's standards. Once you start manufacturing to specific SKUs, the whole process gets faster and easier to manage.

While it will be different, I think that product availability will improve while the ability to customize will be greater than ever.
 
#15 ·
I for one pray you are right.

But in all the thread it has been asked will we still be able to custom order 2 tome accessories like peds? And will we still be able to order peds?
 
#17 ·
Thanks!
 
#18 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Groo21 View Post

Big picture, this is a good problem to have. In the end, it will probably result in a solution that allows everyone to get their cases quicker.

Sometimes, you're running so fast that you end up carrying your bicycle because you don't want to stop and get on it.

In the end, stopping to get on the bike is the right call.
nonsense, you just leave the bike behind
 
#19 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Case Labs View Post

We haven't ruled out a return to custom orders, but it may take some time.

What I would expect to see is an updated and expanded Quick-Ship program with more choices (including colors). We also plan to gradually expand the accessories, so that an even greater amount of customization can be achieved.

One thing was certain, the current system had finally reached its end. Even if I had the million dollars we would need for expansion, that would only be the "easy" part of it. Training staff has become incredibly time-consuming and as we added new models the process got stretched further. Now that we will will be having a more aggressive roll-out of new models, it will become nearly impossible. The final issue is that because of the one-off custom nature of the orders, they couldn't be managed with a modern shop floor control system. The scheduling and production management procedures were pretty crude by today's standards. Once you start manufacturing to specific SKUs, the whole process gets faster and easier to manage.

While it will be different, I think that product availability will improve while the ability to customize will be greater than ever.
Man that sucks, while I think it's the right move to not annoy customers you might be able to do a hybrid system that diverts the majority of sales to resellers, while keeping the custom open. To reduce demand for custom you just need to up the price and the wait time (which I know you hate doing). If the site says most sales are through resellers, but you can do custom but it's a 20% premium with a 3 month wait time then you offer the best of both worlds. Reseller's will be happy because their sales go up. Mainstream case sales go up, but you still get to keep open that niche that you're known for.

I guess with the big equipment and floorspace limitations there is no way to do a partial expansion. I hate to say it, but what about sending out various high running pieces to outside firms (doesn't have to be China)?
 
#20 ·
We're looking at several alternatives, some similar to what you suggest. Things were beginning to slip out of control and that had to get fixed - now. The old way simply won't work anymore. Developing a new system will take some time and more than a few $$$, but in the end the improvement should be worth it.
 
#21 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Case Labs View Post

As many of you are already aware, our lead times have been gradually increasing over the last several months. They are now at a point where they are likely to go beyond eight weeks and we consider that unacceptable. This is largely due to the tremendous influx of orders from the government and reseller channels, both of whom have long term delivery commitments. Because of that activity, reliable prediction of individual case shipments has become impossible. We felt that was creating a significant customer service issue

Starting August 1st, our cases will temporarily only be sold only through our approved resellers. The one exception will be the Bullet series, which will continue to be sold on our website. Parts and accessories will also remain available. The scheduled two-tone run will go as planned, but was pulled in a month early to meet the cutoff date.

While we look for ways to stabilize individual case orders, we will likely return to the Quick-Ship program when time permits, possibly with some additions. Shipping from stock as inventory becomes available will assure that we don't overcommit. We hope to return to custom ordered cases soon, but have no timetable for it at this time. R&D will continue to move forward.

I had always hoped that we could do both, but large numbers of custom orders have created very difficult manufacturing logistics. They have defied any type of conventional solution that would be available to us. Hopefully, this will give us a chance to reassess our procedures in hopes of finding a better solution.

On a personal level, this was a very difficult decision and one that probably took too long to make. I was convinced that there had to be another solution, but none was forthcoming. No one wants to disappoint their customers, but failing customer expectations was simply unacceptable.

More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Thank you,

Jim Keating
CaseLabs
Good for CaseLabs, but I want to know why government is buying top end, premium cases with my damn tax dollars? mhmm?
 
#22 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by InfoSeeker View Post

Good for CaseLabs, but I want to know why government is buying top end, premium cases with my damn tax dollars? mhmm?
Bah ... they can use my tax dollars if it means CaseLabs keeps on keeping on.
 
#23 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by ruffhi View Post

Bah ... they can use my tax dollars if it means CaseLabs keeps on keeping on.
lol, CaseLabs is doing fine, they just shut down their direct sales channel due to an inability to match production to demand.

But let's look at the situation:
  • Government order are larger and less individualized, yielding a better profit margin (u go CL)
  • So now I cannot purchase a customized CaseLab case
  • But I still get to pay for it
  • Or to paraphrase, I bought a CaseLab case, but is was confiscated
I too am a fanboi, but within limits
smile.gif
 
#24 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by InfoSeeker View Post

I want to know why government is buying top end, premium cases with my damn tax dollars? mhmm?
Well, they didn't say what government. It could be the state of California, or the Saudi's
smile.gif
 
#25 ·
A lot of government entities have to purchase US based goods, from chairs to pens to... Well, PC cases. I used to work for a supply company that has its own government section. Their catalog was a LOT smaller because the goods had to be manufactured in the US. Some of the companies that make those products employ those with disabilities such as blindness our downs syndrome, which is pretty awesome.

I imagine a good chunk of them are used on forensic and data analysis clusters. Or maybe they're just using them to build a giant Mech for when Godzilla approaches.
 
#26 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by InfoSeeker View Post

lol, CaseLabs is doing fine, they just shut down their direct sales channel due to an inability to match production to demand.

...
Yes, we are
smile.gif
Our sales are up 30% year over year, so no, we're not going anywhere
wink.gif


As you can imagine though, that can put a strain on production. Custom cases currently take twice as long to process as block orders and rely on a lot of "tribal" knowledge (for those of you familiar with that expression). Training new personnel has been increasingly difficult because of that. We have to find a way to automate the process, but it's not easy with custom orders. We have to clear the current logjam to get things back on track.

One advantage of the reseller network is that you can get a case now and not wait 8 weeks for it. Titan Rig on Amazon, for example has a pretty good selection (and growing) and are available with Prime shipping. We also have several others.

Finally, a word about the government orders. They're not being used as office machines
wink.gif
They are highly specialized systems used in criminal analysis and counter terrorism by several high level intelligence agencies. The contents of some are classified.
 
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