As some of you have indicated, there are some roadblocks/setbacks when developing a new product. At this point in time, my roadblocks happen to be due to my supplier's health. He was hospitalized in mid-Sept with heart troubles. He had a catheterization, and was told to stay off work for a few weeks. This was not good for me, as he is also doing work for Chrysler and GM. When he finally got back to work early last week, I went to see him at his shop and sat down to talk about where we were. He had to catch up on his big customer work. This product isn't exactly paying his mortgage, so he had to prioritize and put it on the back burner.
However, he is now on point with my job. He has cut the mold base (which we had him do a bit of extra work on so that we could run future products through the same mold base), and is now cutting the insert portion of the mold. That is to say that he's making the tool that will mold the Mazda 3 part.
I can't apologize enough for how long this is taking, and believe me, it's upsetting to know that some of you have lost patience and moved on. My only regret was trying the cheaper method first. That is one mistake I'll not make again.
Please, if any of you feel the need, I'm only a PM away. I have not received any PM's nor email notifications in a while, so I figured y'all were hanging tight.
Also, can one of the mods look into why I'm not receiving email notifications when this thread is replied to?
I'm typing this from my workplace, so I have to make it quick....
I'm still on huge hours here at work, and the marathon is next weekend (19th). There is some breathing room on the way, and I can focus more on keeping in touch with everyone here. Hopefully, I'll have good news for you guys very soon. I've given up on giving dates....it just bites me in the butt every time I try to put a pin in it. All I can say is that my supplier is moving at the appropriate pace now, and that should get us to the finish line soon.
Again, please contact me directly if you have questions. PM's are best since I can't seem to get an email notify from this thread.