Cash wrap for gift shop

[Crazyraceguy]

The main unit is the radiused one, which sits in front of the wavy one, which goes against a wall.
The wavy one gets a laminate countertop with the same color, which I always dislike. The front one gets a lighter colored Corian top. It's all complete and back apart, except for the laminate on the outside of the radius. This is as close to finished as I will ever get to see it. Once that outside is laminated, it won't get back together here. Hopefully I can get some installed pics. It goes in next Tuesday.

 

[squall_line]

The "customer" side's view reminds me of the two-tone Sys ports I made a few months ago.  [smile]

 

[Crazyraceguy]

The "customer" side's view reminds me of the two-tone Sys ports I made a few months ago.  [smile]

The ones on the wavy side face the customers. Those get doors of the same color. It's the "inside" (employee side) that has the open boxes, though they do get removable backs.
Everyone on our side of the questioned it from the beginning, as this is not "normal". It really should be the same laminate color, at bare minimum, black. The customer was asked about it and they said..."It's the employee side, it doesn't matter".
I'm just stunned. Do they think they are saving money? Black Melamine wouldn't have changed the cost at all and would make a huge difference in the way it looks.

 

[Packard]

Question:  Who designs these larger installations?  Do they seek your input at the design stage?

 

[squall_line]

I meant that the image in gift_shop_4 reminds me of the java/beige sysports I built:
https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=70434.0;attach=351424;image

 

[Crazyraceguy]

I meant that the image in gift_shop_4 reminds me of the java/beige sysports I built:
https://www.festoolownersgroup.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=70434.0;attach=351424;image

[member=75217]squall_line[/member] I see what you mean about the open backs, but yours look much better. It is very odd when the edgebanding is not the same color as the sides, on open units. Of course, when doors and drawers are involved, it's always that way, but never on open units.
These won't be permanently open though. They have removable backs as access panels, for wiring.

Question:  Who designs these larger installations?  Do they seek your input at the design stage?

[member=74278]Packard[/member]  No, at least in the actual design stage. I get involved in the "how do we produce what the picture says" stage, on the bigger/more complex ones anyway.
Many times the architectural drawings are not buildable. They are not much more than an over-view with some basic dimensions, which might change slightly because of field conditions, the colors, materials, etc and that's about it. Unless there is some structural element that requires something very specific, they don't much care "how" it looks correct, as long as it does.
Our guys have some basic "standards" that we have adopted over the years and go from there. Since the one I deal with the most is fairly new, he is learning as much from me as he does his direct supervisor.

 

[Packard]

Question:  Who designs these larger installations?  Do they seek your input at the design stage?

[member=74278]Packard[/member]  No, at least in the actual design stage.

I used to work at a metal stamping company (now retired).  We would get blueprints for projects that I labeled as “just-because-you-can-draw-it-doesn’t-mean-anyone-can-make-it”.

That would prompt a phone call to the purchasing agent, and (hopefully) lead to me speaking directly with the engineer.  I never failed to invite the engineer to visit our facility.

There were several advantages for having the engineer visit.  He would meet all the key people in out company and feel he had a relationship established.

He would learn which operations were easy, were difficult or were impossible. 

We would find workarounds for what he needed to get made.

And finally the tour of the factory would prompt phrases like, “I didn’t know you could do that” or “That’s an interesting process”. 

If he worked one of those interesting processes into his next design, there was a good chance our competition would not be able to replicate it.  That gave us a huge competitive advantage.

Even more important, the engineer viewed our capabilities as ways to make him look better to his management. 

I would imagine it would work the same way in your operation. 

I’ve always admired your company’s ability to created these monstrously large installations. 

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=74278]Packard[/member] We have in fact had several architects visit/tour the shop. It has been an on-going thing for several years, but ramped-up considerably in the new facility. It was actually designed that way, to be visitor friendly.
It was delayed a few times because of Covid, but there was an open house last summer for this exact purpose. It brought vendors, contractors, and architects together, to see what can be done.
Fortunately, it worked out that I was working on that big gray stealth bomber looking desk at the time, so several of them watched as some of the panels went onto it.

Several years ago, we had one come to the shop to see the desk I was building for a library job. He had designed it, but wasn't sure it could even be done. It had a bunch of angles (6 separate planes) that all met at the same place and a crazy section jutting out of nowhere. It was partly solid surface and a contrasting dark laminate.
bad camera days

 

[Packard]

While we always invited both the purchasing agents and the engineers, it was the engineers we were really hoping to get to visit us.

We would talk up any unique capabilities that we had that were applicable.  The goal was to have them incorporate processes that were unique to us.  That put our competitors at a serious disadvantage. 

The favorite phrase we would hear from a engineer is “I have problem I can’t figure out.”  And I would say, “Show us what you are trying to accomplish”.  We would end up making the engineer look good and that is a bond that is very difficult for a competitor to break into. 

The engineer would say to the purchasing agent, “I think this is a job that you will probably want to place with Clover.  They have the right equipment for this.”