Dear Backers,
We are nearly 3,000% funded! What an exciting time for all of us! We sincerely thank each and everyone of you for your support.
A little personal update: my first child was born on 2nd June 2024; 5 weeks premature. He is doing very well but I’m providing round the clock care for him. A big thanks to the team, Raffles and Liang Hui for carrying the project forward in my absence. Nonetheless I’m keeping a close eye on the manufacturing side of things.
Manufacturing update: Tumbler
As mentioned in the previous update, we faced some durability issues when testing the powder coated edition. We are in close conversation with the supplier to resolve this issue.
In the meantime, as a team, we have elected to provide a free upgrade for all backers. The NAISU logo on the tumbler is now applied using the “black laser” technique. It costs significantly more than the previous laser-ed on logo, looks much better, and we expect it to be more durable as well. We want the NAISU N1 to elevate your home bar experience and this upgrade is a small nod in that direction, and a show of our appreciation for your support and understanding for small deviations along the way without affecting our delivery timelines.
It is important for us to be transparent and share with you our decision making priorities in operationalizing the fulfillment of your rewards:
1) Quality - Quality is paramount in our decision-making process. The N1 took a full year to develop, evaluating manufacturers at every level before launching this crowdfunding project. Quality of the end product, including material quality, safety, and durability, is our foremost priority in every decision.
2) Speed - Timeliness is our next most important priority. This isn’t our first crowdfunding campaign both as a fundraiser and as a backer. We understand that life stage changes for backers can change the need for a product. Unless quality is compromised, we plan to adhere strictly to the timeline religiously.
3) Cost - Cost is the lowest priority in our decision tree. We understand that the N1 is not a cheap product. We intend for the N1 to look and feel every bit as well made as you expect, and probably even more.
It was in light of quality and speed considerations that we’ve decided that we will not provide color options until our concerns with the powder coating are resolved. The current version does not meet our quality standards and would cause significant delays to bring it up to our expectations.
We are working with our supplier to provide samples from other powder coat suppliers. However, given that each testing iteration requires close to a full day due to time required for freezing, along with additional time for fabrication and delivery of samples, the product qualification process alone will take more than a month. Following this, manufacturing and shipping will require an additional two months. Consequently, we need to reorder tumblers in a single bulk order, as the initial batch must be processed on a continuous production line as silver tumblers and cannot be coated at a later stage.
Having said that, we will be receiving small (less than 10) quantities of pre-qualified powder coated tumblers in black. While there are no guarantees, we may be able to ship these out at backers' own risk.
Kindly let us know your thoughts in the comments on this update. We believe open conversation can help us all make better decisions and improve backer experience.
Manufacturing update: Silicone Inserts
We have spoken with the silicone inserts supplier. The manufacturing is on schedule, and we expect to complete the tooling next week. We will then receive the First Article to approve it for manufacturing to coincide with tumbler production.
Manufacturing update: Accessories
We are engaging packaging suppliers to help us protect the accessories for shipping. We should have more updates in the next week or two.
Post-campaign pledge manager: BackerKit
We will be using BackerKit as our pledge manager. BackerKit will help streamline the process of collecting your information, managing surveys, and handling any other add-ons you may wish to include after the campaign ends.
For those new to Kickstarter, here's what to expect:
- Survey: Shortly after the campaign concludes, you will receive an email from BackerKit with a survey. This survey will collect your shipping details and allow you to select any additional items or add-ons you may want.
- Add-ons: If you decide you want to add more items to your rewards, BackerKit will make this process simple and seamless.
- Updates: BackerKit will also serve as a hub for updates and communication regarding your pledge and the fulfillment process.
Hope everyone is doing well! We look forward to fulfilling the campaign on quality, on schedule.
Best regards,
Grey
Team NAISU