JACKS OR
BETTER…NEWS FROM THE WILD CARDS AT JPW
2008
has brought some big changes. This letter
is an email version with interactive links.
For more information click on the links.
We think you will find them most interesting, and they could spark some
new ideas too.
Expansion 2007:
One
year ago last march we expanded into the building next door. This increased our space by 100 %. Now we have a show room, a main sales
office, finished goods storage, and a shipping department, as well as a
production facility. After 17 years on
Product Delivery in 2008 and
2009
In
2008 we have solved the problems that led to ship late orders in 07, and we
have been more punctual on our delivery times.
It has been difficult to be perfect though. This year the problem seemed to be a lot of
orders. High water almost everywhere in
the
Paco Pad sample pad program:
This
spring and summer, Laurette worked hard to find Paco Pads for internet and call
in customers from our dealer’s stocks.
If your company finds itself with excess inventory, or if you are
concerned that inventory is not turning fast enough, then I suggest you call
and talk to Laurette about once a month between the months of April to
August. We can never find enough Pads
for all customers between those months.
If all you need to do to move inventory, is to answer the phone, then answer
the phone. Please let your sales staff
know about the Sample Paco Pad
sales program. It is self
training. With this system pads can
stay rolled up on the shelf. We keep our
sample pads in the corner of the show room.
They have all the information written on them that a sales person needs,
including NOT FOR RESALE. Sales staff
will need to be able to talk to Laurette on the phone if they want to make a
quick and easy sale. Please tell us if
you are unwilling to ship pads to a customer.
These customers often live where we have no dealers. In other words if you work the program, it
will work for you, and it will pay off. Order your first set of free sample pads
with your preseason order.
The Crew:
We
have the best crew ever. Jack is in charge of design, and
new product development. He has had a
huge learning curve with our new design software, and it is paying off. Laurette’s picture is in
Webster’s Dictionary under “Customer Service”.
It is amazing how she can talk to a customer with problems and have them
laughing before a minute has passed.
Laurette has had some wonderful help in the shipping dept. We hope that Dillion will return after his
fist year of college. Chevis and TJ (the double
bottom boys) are the best glue room employees ever. The welding room rocks on because Rod is making sure that the work
flow is uniform, and not backing up in any particular spot. Pety
is now our RF professional having faced every conceivable product we make with
radio frequency welding. Levi has made more pads this
year than ever, and his skills at welding boats just keep getting better. Caleb
is now working for the School dist as an American Sign Language Interpreter,
and we expect to see him again next summer.
Errol keeps the whole
production thing together keeping schedules, ordering materials, and making
sure that the transition from sales order to product and shipping is a smooth
process. Perry is in charge of cutting
parts and keeping fabric part inventories up.
She works closely with Jack in the design process making sure that
patterns follow the rules, and maintain consistency. Finally, Lauri has taken on a new job as
Principal of Sunny Side Elementary, and has given some of her book keeping
responsibilities to Laurette. She is
still our financial guru, and our thanks go out to her for guiding us through
potential pitfalls with important ideas like financial management, employee
handbooks, and product liability issues.
Thanks to these people JPW is a most dynamic and interesting place to
work. We all love being here very
much.
New technology
Four
years ago we purchased a computerized
cutting system. It has
revolutionized our business. At the end of
last year we purchased Solid Works Design
Software. This software is having an
equal impact on business. With this
software we have been able to Design products with much greater accuracy. The
customer interface built into the software enables better email
correspondence than ever before. We now
have the capability to show very accurately what products will look like and
are able to explain how they behave.
Solid Works is parametric. That
means that the same drawings can be used over and over again, and the only
thing we have to do is change the dimensions.
A good example of this is our custom bag
style site. Finally one thing that
is super slick is that the software can up date, or even unfold parts, for our
inflatable patterns from the 3 d drawings.
We can export the unfolded parts directly to our cutting system, and cut
the parts for welding. Here are some
examples of projects that we have worked on this year.
These
containments systems are designed to catch fuel from a ruptured fuel tank. The unit is self inflating, and the
inflatable tube rides on top of the fluid contained in the skirt for more
volume of containment.
The
Master Blaster is a small two person raft for whitewater parks. It is unique because the force of water
carries it up hill by filling up two pockets on the bottom of the craft.
We
have an infinite variety of raft designs available to us through the Solid
Works software. Remember that we only
have to change the dimensions in an excel table to change the design. Conventional rafts lend themselves well to
this idea. The sections can be automatically
unfolded to get the flat patterns that we weld together and inflate to make the
raft.
This
design can have a customized curvature. It is a blunt nose 19 inch cutthroat tube
with a double bottom.
Have a look at the finished product. It is exactly like the drawing.
We
were not involved with the construction of the project because the customer
specified neoprene material. However we
were able to design the patterns, and Inflatable Technologies in Denver
Co is building the structure and the skin.
Fat Boy Self
Bailing Whitwater raft New for 2009
10
ft long, self bailing, removable dropstitch floor, innovative foot
thwart design, and all welded construction, are some of the features that make
this boat different, more maneuverable, and durable than the imports.
The
Teva Mountain Games are held in Vail
New customers
and markets:
In
early May we decided to go to an oil and Gas show. We were not prepared for the amount of
interest we received for our containment systems. Oil companies are also interested in our pads
and bags as incentives and safety awards.
The folks that work in the oil field are often forced to be outdoors and
need water proof equipment when the weather turns foul.
PRODUCTS
Bag and Pad Sales:
Sales
of JPW Dry Bags and Paco Pads are continuing to hit new records. The best form of flattery is imitation, but do
not be fooled. Paco Pads have the best
record for longevity, and comfort. A
good sleep means a good trip. Is it
worth it to compromise? Our Dry Bags
Work, they are easy to load, and they last.
Warranty issues (yes we warranty our dry bags and pads too) have about
dropped to zero. You just can not buy a
better bag at any price. Simple
effective design with quality materials are the characteristics that we build
into every Dry Bag and Paco Pad.
Culebra Changes:
NRS built us
a great frame for the Culebra. We
added cargo slings, and now the boat can be rowed with a passenger, or with
gear. I am taking this design down
Cutthroat and Fat Cat sales:
In
the past 2 years we have sold more cutthroats with 19 inch diameter tubes. Now we are offering the cutthroat with blunt ends. This option is only available with a double
bottom. We now offer a 10 wider cutthroat frame
also. Customers demand it and we produce
the product. You can’t get that kind of
service from
We
are selling more of the 16 inch diameter tubes with a Fat Cat grommet strip set
up, and Fat Cat frames. We are happy to
respond to our customers needs. The
versatility of these designs continues to amaze us. Remember that we live vicariously though our
customers and we love to hear the stories!
The Royal flush has been our most popular all around cataraft this year. It is just slightly longer than a Daddy Cat, and it has a slightly shorter water line. These tubes feature our characteristic flat bottom combined with a curved cone section and a blunt nose. The effect is a slightly more responsive boat when empty, that can carry as much cargo as a Daddy Cat. There is no difference in price either. As always double bottom material is standard, and top chafe material is optional.
Chinese Inflatable Company
Steals our Web Site:
The
Chinese company that stole our web content to get a better place on Google has
finally removed the site after 16 months.
That was a real battle, and we never found out who it was. Needless to say I learned a lot about
international internet rules, and Chinese trade laws. If you would like to know more about this,
you may email Jack at info@jpwinc.com. My deepest thanks go out to Aztec Media for their help
with this problem.
We
do not import any Chinese boats pads or dry bags. We do not deal with Chinese importers. If any of the products we sell are made in
Warranty and
Product Reliability:
Because
our products are built in the
The future of
JPW
I
think it is needless to say that our future is bright. We have never placed all of our eggs in one
single basket. Our customer range is
wide, and we are known for getting products out that fit nitch markets. We do more each year in various other
industries like Oil and Gas, environmental, entertainment, and medical. Still our hearts belong to the river where we
long to spend our own vacation time. Our
experience in this field has led us to a host of products and projects that are
both fascinating, and income producing.
We can only look back with our eyes and see where we came from, but we
can look forward with our imaginations and dream of where we will go. Thanks for being good customers. We look forward to a very long and prosperous
future together.
Purchasing
river equipment does not have to be a gamble when you go with the professionals
who hold all the cards.
