One of the challenging aspects of making polo mallets is the ability to find straight shafts. The crooked ones are easy to find and you can obtain them in bundles for around $1 per pole. Out of a bundle of 30 shafts there are 1 or 2 that are usable. The alternative is to buy perfect shafts that by the time you pay for the shaft with shipping it is around $40 which makes them very expensive. Because straight shafts are getting harder to come by Escanaba Polo Mallet Company went on the hunt to experiment with alternative methods of obtaining increasingly rare straight mallet shafts.
Experimentation allows for businesses to adapt and better meet market needs. We know that our customers want straight shafts and while we pick out those that are the straightest they are not perfect. While our customers accept little bends in shafts in the polo industry the experimentation lead to a much straighter shaft that many other supplies don't have.
Here are a few steps to micro-manufacturing experimentation that anyone can do for themselves.
1. Define Your Problem: Lack of availability and excessive cost of straight poles. Find a way of correcting crooked poles.
2. Understand its Value on the Market: Offering straight poles raises the value of the product from an aesthetic and performance purpose.
3. Review Current Information/Methods: Look at your library, online, and experts on ways to straighten poles. The more you know about the different methods the better you can define yours.
4. Experiment with Different Methods: I have tried a few ways such as steaming, weighting, soaking, etc... some worked but they were too slow of a process. I needed something easier without lots of bulky equipment.
5. Test the Finished Product: I found what worked and was able to straighten poles. To ensure structural quality I used and tested the poles. What I found was that there was no noticeable difference.
6. Be Open to Customer Feedback: Just because you liked what you did sometimes customers don't. I sent out my first straightened mallet and asked the buyer to let me know what they did and didn't like about the mallet. I'm opening my lines of communication and keeping in close touch with customers to build relationships.
Escanaba Polo Mallet Company is a good works start-up that makes American made polo mallets and gear and supports charitable organizations for orphans and child enrichment. https://www.escanabapolomallet.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment