digiShapes is Lowering Barriers and Raising the Bar
*Originally posted on LinkedIn on March 6, 2017*
Greetings LinkedIn friends! I am pleased to announce the launch of our new venture, digiShapes. At digiShapes, we have been busy creating software and developing and testing new products with our dealers and suppliers. We owe a big thank you to our suppliers, customers, friends, family and coworkers that have helped us as we have taken our first baby steps to where we are now. Many of you are on Linkedin..... so Thank you!
Our new company was created to deliver products that are custom designed and produced for each order. We have created software and online services to support these products from customer order all the way through delivery to the end customer.
So what does digiShapes do? Our business is best described with images.
Our dealers create covers by measuring objects with a point digitizer or scanner:
The digital point information looks like this:
We turn it into a product that looks like this:
*** Images Courtesy of Advanced Canvas and Upholstery
We do this with minimal investment from our dealers.
Who uses our service?
Our dealers serve the boating industry and can be boat builders, custom canvas shops, dock builders and marinas. Our customers have a need to deliver high quality custom products to demanding customers without the 3 month lead time that can be typical in this industry.
Why do our dealers use digiShapes?
Adopting digital automation technologies for the cut and sew industry requires purchasing digitizing, engineering software, high end computers and fabric cutting tables. A bare bones setup will typically cost $100k in addition to hiring staff and providing training for the individuals operating the system . Systems for high throughput engineering and production will typically cost at least $300k plus. Our early adopters are able to out compete much larger, established businesses on cost, quality, product innovation and lead time without having the fixed overhead. Our technology bridges the gap between fabric artisans and sewn product manufacturers.
Not only do we have a cost effective system based on the latest technology, we have cool new products. We have partnered with Sunstream Boat Lifts to offer Swiftshield, the first fully automatic boat cover. If you have a few minutes, watch our product and why our customers are crazy about it:
Stay tuned on LinkedIn, we'll be posting frequently about our products and the processes we use to develop them. Thanks again to everyone who has helped!
-Tim James
President, digiShapes LLC