Hey all,
Needless to say,
I'm spread a little thin across a few projects, so I apologize for not being as responsive as normal to inbound inquiries. I've received a few emails and PMs and have been getting back to folks within a few days, but just know that I appreciate your patience!
Ok, so I have a few updates for you all. The main thing I want to emphasize, however, is when we expect the product page (and thus ordering) to go live:
early next week. This is a bit later than we targeted initially, but (as I'll elaborate below) the main reason for this is fortunately not manufacturing related - we've got enclosures and we're chomping at the bit to send them out. Rather, there is still some web dev and authoring/specification work to do, and Sliger will also only be able to take photos of the enclosures going into the weekend. We want to launch, but we want to launch right, so we'll be taking the time we need to ensure that we have a complete product page and that there are no hiccups as we open up Cerberus and Cerberus X to ordering.
That's the TL;DR. Below are some more granular update notes:
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From a manufacturing point of view, Sliger has already produced most of our initial order of enclosures, and we've been able to resolve each of the challenges we encountered as they've come up. There are two items in this regard that I'd like call out in particular, though:
- For the case feet, we've found a vendor that has made us nice, durable, grippy rubber ones that meet our exact specifications for radius and (particularly) height. The quality is solid and I'm honestly relieved to have been able to find/source these, since we've been trying really hard to maintain the more aggressive $225 entry price point. That said, I know some folks will likely prefer the custom aluminum carved feet we've used before, so we are planning to offer those as an option for those who want it.
- For the paint colors, Sliger was informed by their supplier that the cost of the red powder coat we use for Cerberus will be significantly more expensive than for the other colors (75%+ more, to give you a frame of reference). Because of this, we're likely going to mark up the cost of red enclosures by $5-10, as otherwise it would be challenging economically to provide it as an option in an ongoing manner.
Operationally, we've been busy as well:
- Sliger has been working very hard to get the product page ready. I actually have some work to do on my end with respect to writing up some of the copy and specifications for the enclosures, as the KI website is a bit out of date and doesn't have information on Cerberus X. That said, we are about ready for prime time save for the front-end stuff; the most complex work is done.
- Per above, Sliger has enclosures made and ready, and we have batches for each color as well as bare metal enclosures that we can paint as orders come in. What we don't have yet are photos, and that's mostly because Sliger won't have the resources to get that done until the weekend. Needless to say, I'm very much looking forward to sharing those with you all, and we'll probably post them at a time coinciding with the launch of the product page.
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Please do continue to reach out if you have questions, or even post them here so that the answers can be shared with everyone! I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank
@KSliger , loudly and publicly, for the work they've been doing - they've been a fantastic partner for us, and their work in supporting fulfillment and web ordering for Cerberus - and even going so far as to hop on the forum and engage with folks directly in a support capacity - is just awesome. I would have been hopeless to get this across the finish line without them in James' absence, and so their work deserves recognition for making production possible.
Thanks all,
- Joshua
