Roof Rack Design and Fabrication Weekend 5-6 Progress ;)

Oh you’re getting a roof rack! Cool! Or a bed rack? Or a cap rack? Either way that’s going to be incredibly cool and useful I can’t wait to see it

 

Has me excited to be a local. Looking forward to it.

 

@Red Baron

 

we're happy you're local! come by and see us sometime!

 

Good to hear your goal is direct customer integration and defining this upfront at the outset of starting a business is key as you can staff for it and build the associated costs with providing such support into the cost of the rack. Ultimately this was one of Prinsu's biggest issues, i.e. growth exploded beyond what Prinsu could handled to maintain the direct client interaction they initially set out with. Prior to the sale of Prinsu you could see customer service taking a nose dive b/c the volume was just too overwhelming and they weren't staffed and had no plan on how to handle it. Ultimately CBI stepped in to save company from collapse due to growth and an inability to successfully deal with it.

 

After having a CBI version of the Prinsu underwhelmed by the product is my only response and some things were just laughable simple QC stuff that's just laziness.

 

In my eyes those guys paved the way for companies like us. They made something really cool that most people hadn’t been introduced to that wasn’t made of tubes. If our last two weeks has been anywhere like there first two weeks I can sympathize with their excitement and borderline sheer terror of introducing something that people want to have.

I didn’t follow them closely enough to know the end story before it changed hands but I’m glad they stepped up and made some bad ass roof racks and created the kind of excitement that made room for other competitors.

 

Prinsu is a great business case to look at b/c unlike most companies, their near collapse was the result of the sheer amount of success (i.e. volume growth) they were experiencing. Would have been sad to see a company go under as a result of success...CBI really turned it into a win for themselves and Zach. Lesson to learn from them is to plan for success up front so you can execute on that plan when you go from single digit sales to hundreds (or thousands) in a very short period of time.

 

I finished a book last year called start at the end. It touches a whole lot on what you are talking about. Startups have very little money, a great idea, and all the drive in the world. Ambition as a throttle is dangerous for sure. Infrastructure. Staffing. The right people in the right place and not just hiring but hiring the people that will get in your boat and row as hard for you as you will row for them. According to the book you should draft your business plan with the end of the business in site. Is it retirement? Do you hand it off to a partner? Does it sell internally to an employee? to an outside party? What is it worth? How do you determine that? Most small businesses that are ultra-successful (lots of sales, good cash flow) really aren't worth anything at a sale level because without the key people that created it....they are worthless to the outside world. It doesn't benefit any of us to be idea rich and cash poor. That is for certain.

The things internally that we had to consider before tying on the bungee rope and jumping off this bridge:

Can we manufacture something? I don't mean can we make a couple of something. I mean can we physically produce the same part, to the same standard in a repeatable manner on a scale that most people cannot comprehend? There are six brackets that mount the cab to the roof. Those six brackets have two additional gussets. The brackets (again, 6) have to be machined, heated, bent, gussets big welded, sanded and delivered to the powder coat. Our angle for correcting for the slope of the roof (I'm not going to disclose it here because it was very hard to determine and it's part of the reason we were able to hug the roof line with two sides on each side)has to EXACT. Can we do that 6 times? Can we do it 6000?

Insurance. Now all of a sudden it's not just a shop full go guys that build hot rods. It's a full bore manufacturing facility. Tooling. Fixtures. Packaging. Hardware. Adequate storage facilities. Shipping logistics. The time it actually takes to crate a rack. Marketing. The most important: Customer service.

Without that last one we can forget about all the others because we will launch, crash and burn in short order. This is why I take the time to answer things on here. It's why I am so lucky to have people from this forum that I now speak to all day long that are behind this working essentially for free to see this go the right direction. A leap of faith? Maybe. But maybe something bigger than that.

I respect the opinion of each and every person I encounter. The input, feedback, and conversations that we have shape, in real time, the path we are about to walk. <------I said walk. That is important. One of the guys here reminds me of this daily. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.

Just like the stuff we use to make these racks, this has to be a machine. I wanted to hit the $799 price point. I cared about it. It was a goal. It was NOT possible. I could have used different aluminum. I could have used thinner. I could have used different hardware, spacers, bars, powder coat, boxes, packing tape, paper, stickers.....I could have changed any number of things and hit that but I wouldn't be shipping you the roof rack that started this thread. I would be sending you a copy of an idea that wasn't what I said I made. That will never happen.

This company will grow because our compass is pointed in the right direction. Creativity is in my DNA. It's been my whole life up until right here, right now. For the people that understand that I cannot wait to see the pictures of you out with your friends and family with all the gear you need loaded onto something that we made. For anyone that doesn't understand it...common ground can be found because at the end of the day it's about being out there, doing what we all do. The mud, the snow, the sand, the dirt roads.

 

impressed, on all fronts!

 

Well said. I think supporting a small business that is catering to the off road community is just awesome. But to listen to all who offer any advice no matter how small is what it’s all about. Not just the bottom dollar. But a product that will be known. And to keep us all informed throughout the whole process is goi g above and beyond. Just my 2 cents.

 

Simple solution: offer 3, 6, and 9 degree shims (square wedge) just large enough to cover the bolt pattern. Place these under the footing. Charge $15-$25 per set for those that need them.

<edit> or perhaps just large enough to go under the rail.

 

Very well stated...you look to be prepared with the right mindset for the long haul to true success...excited to watch your journey to a successful future.

 

Just take my money already.....

 

Anyone who wants to get these guys some exposure, and possibly win a bottle opener, go to their Instagram. Let your friends in on the secret or let them be envious. I hope the best for you guys! I’ll do my part to support any small business with outstanding community buy in.

 

@upTOPoverland here was my other idea for a nice (and very clean looking) rake adjustable foot mount from 80/20: https://8020.net/4156-black.html



What I envisioned was for those “L” brackets on each side bolting down to the roof tracks and then the center piece twin bolted to the rack cross rails. 80/20 offers twin bolt plates (https://8020.net/4107-black.html) that would allow you to achieve the desirable height by stacking them.




Never got around to trying these out as I found the Smittybilt mounts at the same time I came up with this idea. Something you all may want to consider...even as a design idea approach

 

@perkj i LOVE that piece.

 

Very nice. Might need to ovalize one of each pair of holes to account for the flare of the ditch channels(they aren't parallel).

 

That idea is definitely a lot more simple and easier to make than my idea for sure!

 

I'm not familiar with Prinsu's story, but I am familiar with Pelfry's. People can say the Pelfry's took the money and ran, but having seen the warehouse stacked with product, that wasn't the case. They literally just couldn't deliver...then took what was left of the money and ran. Growth led to their downfall and their ethical approach to the problem led to their demise.

I understood what Micah was about when I first spoke to him on the phone. He genuinely cares, he's passionate, and he will deliver. Together there is a small team making this happen because of who he is and what he's trying to build. It's not just a product he wants to deliver, it's also the experience. There are a lot of manufacturers in this business that make great gear, but the lead times are garbage and the customer interaction during those times is worrisome. I believe Micah will change that. The dude doesn't sleep and he won't until he has accomplished his goal; customer satisfaction through the entire process.

Well said.