Cost effective Custom

How can this be, you may ask. Here are 3 points to consider when making a decision of ‘be or not to be’ custom.

1) With ever shrinking corporate office space and increasing running costs, ‘off the shelf’ solution may end up costing more, as it is not build to fit and does not utilise every square millimetre of available and very expensive space.

2) It may take many objects to deliver desired effect in any given space, where as a carefully curated collection of few items, which are designed for a purpose and required visual impact - will deliver stronger resolve at similar or even less cost. Great example of less is more.

3) This one is my favourite.

Let’s look at any given object on your desk - take a stapler for example. Yes - technological advancements have been able to fine tune manufacturing process to a level where it costs very little to make the thing, however likelihood of it being manufactured over seas is very high. This object is not designed to last, after all this is what drives current global market place. Here we come to first, second and third cost in this point - landfill, replacement and air miles.

Further costs impact consumer in a similar way - by out sourcing manufacture, we take away from our own locality, spin offs, standard of living and community in general.

This principle applies to your desk, chair and many other objects in the space you occupy now.

Yes, I do agree it’s is not feasible at this point in time to apply these considerations to entirety of the project scope, however, smallest changes to procurement practices will pay forward.

This is exactly what we do, we import components to ‘dilute’ higher local manufacture cost of custom piece or a product, enabling us to offset margins and offer more affordable locally manufactured bespoke options, until, in time, due to increasing sea freight fees and duties, combined with push for local - costs will level off.

P.S. Deeper understanding of third point comes from personal experience. I was born in a little town that grew around several textile factories. Economic and political climate has driven consumer to be accustomed to import, impacting local manufacture to the point of no return. In some years, my little town ended up with high unemployment, aging population and apocalyptic looking town-scape due to derelict manufacturing facilities.

My little town was seeping young talent, until there was too little industry know-how and energy left, to reinvigorate production.