The initial Enquiry

The initial enquiry can come to us in many forms; we receive paper drawings, autocad files, jpegs, pdf files, bitmaps, bits of paper, cardboard, metal, verbal descriptions and even plastic scale models - in other words don't be afraid to tell us what you have. Our quotation page tells you more about the information we usually need to process an enquiry.

Once we've received your enquiry we try our best to get a quotation back to you quickly - normally same day. We'll contact you if we're unsure of your exact requirements, and we'll tell you straight away if we feel laser cutting or our associated processes are not the best method of manufacture - in this case we'll try to recommend the optimum solution, and suggest a suitable supplier. A quotation can take a little longer, particularly if the material is difficult to source, or the project involves a lot of initial conceptual interpretation.

Once we've quoted you we'll usually contact you to see if there's any other information you need, and to see if we can have the order (it is what we're here for after all!).

Placing an order

Several things happen when you place an order:

1. We send you an order acknowledgement
2. We give you an anticipated delivery date and schedule the work on our system
3. We raise a job pack including any job specific requests you've made, packaging & delivery requirements, and quality control information
4. We programme the job, contacting you if we have any drawing queries
5. We order the material, or reserve stock for the work
6. If the laser cut parts are aesthetic we'll normally send you a drawing showing you what to expect
7. We may even send a sample to allow you to know exactly what to expect

The programming stage is where we convert your designs, drawings, images or old parts into something the laser can understand and re-create. We use many methods of translation at this stage, both hardware and software based, but every company needs a few secrets so we'll keep it sketchy here!

Our job pack is the bible for each job; it contains all the information needed to ensure the order arrives on-time to the expected quality and standard. It accompanies the work right through the system, so any member of the team can access the information. We use a simple colour system to highlight particular important aspects of the job, and this is also used in our scheduling system.

Doing the work

We have some of the best technology in the industry. We service the machines religiously, we check them regularly to ensure they're working within tolerance, and we even paint them once per month if they get scratched. This allows us to process your order quickly and efficiently (hence the excellent price you received at the quotation stage!).

Our operating team consists of fully trained technicians, who, most importantly, offer common sense and a customer service ethos second to none. Everyone in the team is trained to put quality before anything else. We all realise delivery dates are critical, and as a customer you normally have severe time constraints, but our culture is to do the job right, not just on time (think about that...)

The job is checked at several stages - initially at the programming stage to ensure we're going to cut what's needed. We then check initial samples to ensure we're cutting what's needed. We then check just before packing to ensure we've cut what's needed.

And yes, occasionally, even after all of the above, we make a mistake (if a company says it never makes mistakes it never makes anything). If we do, we put it right quickly, and then decide the reason for the error. If it's something we've done, we adapt our process to try to eliminate a similar mistake happening in the future (we base our improvement policy on the EFQM model).

Delivery

We package things carefully, and we try to meet your specific requests. We use various methods of transport, depending on the lead time for the work, the type of package, your location, and the time of week.

Remember, our standard carriage will have been included in the price at the initial quotation stage, so you won't get any nasty shocks when you receive your invoice. If you need something very special regarding delivery, we'll let you know how much it will cost before we do it for you.

 

After-sales service

Once we've cut a part for you we keep the details on our system. If you need repeat cutting done, we'll already have the information stored and can process your new order immediately. If you need modifications to the original work we can do it, and our internal issue level system will ensure control in the future.

We'll contact you occasionally if you want us to; we'll leave you alone if you don't. We can visit you to discuss new projects, or you can come and see us, and possibly walk away with samples the same day.

We'll keep your designs confidential (we'll happily sign non-disclosure agreements). We'll give you access to the programmes we've created for your work, and we'll help you modify parts. We'll use parametric programming, multi-nesting and reverse engineering to help you achieve your objectives.

We really do try our best to be the best at laser cutting. Get in touch and try us.