Jackson Kayak News

What can I say, but, you're right, I’m wrong, and I’m sorry. As President, owner, and dude in charge of Jackson Kayak, it is my responsibility to produce the product on the schedule I set and announce. I have failed miserably in two areas.

1st - I finished the molds 3 weeks to one month later than planned.

2nd- I have not set up the right situation in production to make the needed 60 boats per day. Instead, we have been lucky to make 30 per day.

What is the result? Demand is higher than supply causing boats that are ordered to go out later than we planned. It is a snowball effect. What are we doing to get boats to people in the right priority list, and what is our priority list?

1. Pre-ordered boats by customers- We don’t know if you bought a boat at your dealer by your dealers order to us. We only know that you have purchased a boat that you are waiting for it you email or call Tanya at Jackson Kayak offices. So, you need to let us know if you purchased and are waiting on a boat so we can make that boat a priority.

2. Dealer by priority- Those dealers that are supporting us by coming on board early with their orders are first in line and it goes down the list like that. We will fill all dealers’ initial orders first then go around the list again.

3. Anywhere I go- I have boats shipped to that dealer. Look at my schedule on this website to see where I have been and where I am going and you will see where boats went and where they are going. Kentucky, California, Oregon, Reno(I didn’t send boats there because the dealer wasn’t open yet), Washington DC, Colorado, then Massachusetts, Ottawa,etc. These locations will have boats waiting on me.

So where are we today? Yesterday, 38 boats made, today two shifts going at 60 boats. We have about 900 boats to make that are ordered by dealers right now and that will take 3 weeks at 60 boats per day, 6 weeks at 30.

I am doing all that I can to get us up to the 60 boats per day. We are hiring more staff, getting people in that can help organize the system. A disorganized production facility that had inventory issues almost daily is the source of our woes. Keeping quality at a premium also costs us time since we are unwilling to let staff that is improperly trained work on their own, and we have stopped production more than once to address issues with parts that we could have let skate by, probably unnoticed.

We are getting the boats you have ordered made- they are getting molded, assembled, and shipped at increasing rates.

Our second shift took two weeks to get hired, trained, and to get the parts in house to assemble. Yesterday was their first day at Don put out 30 boats. Today is the first day with both shifts making boats and it looks like a 60 boat day. Yesterday was our record at 38.

What is my goal, plan, and commitment? Jackson Kayak aims to over deliver and under promise. I feel we have done that on the product end, pricing end, and design end. I will not stop until we are doing this on the production end. We are hiring kayakers, like yourself, that care about what they make, who they make it for (their friends and fellow kayakers), and care about Jackson Kayak. We are putting in the efforts to set up a production system that allows us to track our quality on each boat, while assembling, and shipping enough boats to handle the demand at 2500 boats in 2004, and 4000 in 2005. This is much smaller numbers than the big companies, but it is my goal to make the best boats, not necessarily the most.

Where is your boat? I have instructed Tanya (customer service) to assume the same production levels as we have been at when giving you your delivery dates. Meanwhile- I am working to double those production numbers.

Some of you will get your boats today, this week, next week, or in three weeks. Depends on whether we know you bought the boat, whether we are making boats for your dealer right now, etc.

Some things that don’t happen - We don’t ship large quantities of kayaks to any dealer to sell on spec. Valley Mill, for example got their initial order of 14 boats- All gone in one day. Do they have any in stock today? No. CKS got 18 boats in last week, all sold first day. Kentucky Outdoor Center got theirs hand delivered by me at their demo, sold. When will they get their next ones, check with Tanya by email for a response. Remember that Tanya will be most effective if you keep your emails short and in this form:

Tanya: I purchased a ______________ from ____________________ dealer on _____________________ date. When do you think I will get it here?

Feel free to use this verbatim.

As for EJ on the road while your boat is being made… it is my job to create a production facility that can handle our orders and make the best boats in the business. This requires that the production manager and staff can operate with out me holding their hands. I have flown back to Rock Island twice in the past three weeks, as well as having Marty Cronin, who was quite helpful, there two weeks ago as well. It is my job to know the kayaks, kayakers, and to have my finger on the pulse of kayaking, so that I can continue to develop the best boats I can. This also goes in line with my personal philosophy as a person, in the life I want to lead.

Rest assured, Jackson Kayak will catch up, get ahead, then stay ahead of production requirements, so that you can get the boats you want with out waiting. This will take me the better part of the summer, but it is as much of a priority as winning the next world championships.

Sincerely,

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