In the press! We are featured in the Aeronaut Automation newsletter regarding our new plotter/cutter purchase.
Kotzur Kanvas founders, Corie & Belinda Kotzur, say that their business drastically improved in just seven months after installing a plotter/cutter.
Corie & Belinda decided to invest in an Aeronaut Elektron Quattro plotter/cutter in response to an advertisement in the (ACASPA) Connections Magazine back in 2006. It was a leap of faith for the Kotzurs, because all of their work prior was cut by hand. Corie says that the initial reason for looking at automated cutting was to reduce mistakes (which was a considerable cost to the company), improve the accuracy to within 1 mm, and speed up the cutting process.
“We were not sure what to expect at first,” Corie admits. “When I signed the cheque, I was very concerned as to whether we were making the right decision.” “Although changing our production methods was hard, within 3 to 6 months of purchase, we knew it was the right decision.”
With the Aeronaut cutter performing three times faster than hand cutting, the company had to put on two extra full-time sewing machinists, as well as one casual, just to keep up.
“Initially we had to train our staff on the new technology, and this affected some of their roles.” “In fact, the staff have been fantastic. Changing over to CAD software in the design department was the hardest part,” Corie says. “We find that software in all departments, even in accounts, causes the most headaches within the business.
However, no way would we have achieved this level of success without the machine.” As production methods improved, delivery times became more reliable. A combination of new business, expanding territories and existing customers placing larger orders, saw the business grow much faster than expected. Seven months after the purchase, the company had to move to bigger premises.
Currently, with the cutter going flat out five days per week with no downtime, they are looking to put on a manager to help handle the workload. “The machine paid for itself in six months,” Corie says. “It’s tripled our business. Without it we would be very limited. It has made our company a lot more successful and life is easier.” With the versatility of the machine, Kotzur Canvas now produces products that they would not have considered prior to the purchase. Corie and Belinda maintain that the Elektron not only sped up their production, but it saved them money on cloth, and along with a bit of hard yakka, was the main reason for the rapid expansion of their company.
Founded in 2000 in Wagga Wagga NSW, Kotzur Kanvas produces a wide range of products from large scale covers and curtains for the transport industry to shade sails, clear blinds, caravan annexes, boat trimming and a host of other lines.
Source: http://www.aeronaut.org/component/content/article/48-news/newsletters-aeromail/63-triple-your-business-the-kotzur-canvas-story.html