#sonastand

[kcmachine]

NOT MADE IN CHINA

We are very proud of the fact that the Sonastand is manufactured by us here in California. With the recent presidential debate bringing up the topic of manufacturing jobs lost to China, it made me think more about the future of manufacturing. For the past few years, I've thought a good amount about the reasons why the competitive advantage of made in China seems to be diminishing.

QUALITY China is absolutely the king of mass production, but the "made in China" stamp is synonymous with low quality. There definitely seems to be a growing trend of people looking for products not made in China. Moreover, there are people who value quality and seek to purchase long lasting products. I personally try to buy things once and never again. From my Goruck Echo backpack (made in the USA might I add), to my Muji nail clippers, I am constantly seeking high quality products, and I know I'm not alone. LABOR COSTS With the booming Chinese economy, it is certain that low-wage Chinese laborers are demanding higher wages. It seems like every week there are reports of strikes in Chinese factories, and there are no signs of letting up. With the long hours and low wages that these factory workers are subjected to, China is under constant scrutiny for their labor practices. Due to the terrible working conditions and low wages, Chinese factory workers are rightfully demanding higher wages, which is going to push manufacturing away from China.

SHIPPING COSTS With increasing oil prices, it's absolutely certain that shipping costs will increase as well. Apparently the shipping cost per container rose 29% from last year with no end in sight. These signals are marking an end to the amazing advantage China had for producing products for so cheap. I am curious and excited to see how this all unfolds as time progresses. The US became stagnant in its manufacturing as it was losing out to cheap Chinese labor. With these shifts in the industry, it is up to US manufacturers to become more streamlined in our processes, and figure out better technology and ways to compete. With automation, robotics, and lights out machining, I am increasingly hopeful that the US will be able to re-capture a portion of the manufacturing jobs it has lost to China.

[kcmachine]

We've been hard at work at finalizing our iPhone 5 Sonastand design. To accomodate the phone's new speaker we've had to make some revisions, opening up the sound port and also making the stand physically larger. It's more stable now, and even sounds better than before. It's almost ready for production, and we're excited!

[sonastand-blog]

Sonastand Sizing Chart Instructions

Please refer to the sizing chart on our main website, located here: Sonastand Sizing Chart

[kcmachine]

Some Thoughts

Our Kickstarter campaign is now just half way over, and the supporters are still coming through with pledges, and that is just awesome.

While making the campaign and leading up to launching a campaign, you read and research all of the successful projects, see what seems to work, and what doesn't. The thing is, what never gets translated through reading about other projects is just the overwhelming positivity and encouragement that is thrown at you by the random people you come into contact with.

I've gotten to correspond with a multitude of very interesting and helpful people, and it really is heart warming that a community of people exists for the most part, to help people pursue their dreams. What an incredible world we live in, and an amazing time to be taking part of something like Kickstarter. It's made a lot possible, and at least for us, we wouldn't have been able to launch a product with so much confidence without our backers.

Another interesting thing I've found is that the users coming from Kickstarter read this blog for 1 minute on average. That's pretty astonishing and humbling to me. 1 minute doesn't seem like it, but it's a long time to read a random blog. We've prided ourselves on having interesting and original content (especially on Tumblr), and the readership seems to agree.

To sum it all up, launching on Kickstarter has only been a positive and encouraging experience. We can only validate ourselves and the products we make by the reactions we get from our audience, and thus far it's been an incredible reaction. We are excited to be able to grow and push forward, while using Kickstarter as a launching pad.

[kcmachine]

Hand polished mirror finish cone.

[kcmachine]

[parislemon]

Nice iPhone speaker/stand project on Kickstarter.

I like this for a few reasons:

1) You can carry this around in your pocket. (They have slightly different sizes depending on the case you use, if you use one at all.)

2) They're going to manufacturer these themselves right here in California. 

3) These guys poured their life savings in to this project to pursue their dream.

They're about $4,500 into their $20,000 goal. I'll gladly donate. 

[smallpenchant-blog]

Oh, and here's a sweet little demo!

And if you like the song, you can find it here: Andrew Figuero Chiang & the Blazing Rays of the Sun. Try saying that 10 times fast...