First Things First, Don’t Panic
Here at Signature Coins, we pride ourselves on our ability to deliver the highest quality coins on the market with an unbeatable turnaround time of 14 days or fewer. The only way we can make this happen is through the combined efforts of our sales, art and production teams.
All of our artists and sales representatives are based out of Orlando, Florida while our production team is based in China (and about 13 hours in the future). It may sound like there is plenty of room for breakdowns in communication in a situation like this, but our production team might as well be right next door considering our years of experience working together.
We are confident in our teams’ ability to work together and meet deadlines no matter the distance, however, there are scheduled factory closures spread out during the year that can slow things down. If you find yourself shopping for a set of custom challenge coins during a factory closure, there is no need to panic. We decided to put together all the information you need to know about scheduled factory closures to help make sure you can get your coins on time no matter what.
Why Does the Factory Need To Close?
There are two main reasons that our production facility shuts down; holidays and maintenance. Our art and sales teams take time off for Thanksgiving, Christmas and a few other holidays sprinkled throughout the year, but our production facilities remain open.
This means that there are usually no significant delays during the busiest holiday seasons in the States. Be that as it may, our production team still needs some time off as well. The factory closes for a week at the end of January (sometimes the beginning of February) and for the first week of October every year.
Maintenance is another important reason for closing up the shop for a short amount of time. Our production team needs to make sure that everyone in the factory is safe around the equipment and also that the products hold up to our strict quality standards.
Our factory closes for maintenance a few times a year, sometimes for an afternoon and other times for a little over a week. It just depends on what needs to happen. No matter the case, our sales team will make sure to let every customer know what is going on, and whether or not their orders will be affected by the closure.
Factory Closures and Turnaround Times
The big question we get from everyone ordering around the time of a scheduled factory closure is, how will this affect the turnaround time on my order? We wish there was a clear cut answer, but the truth is that we need to figure it out case by case. It all depends on how long the factory will be closed and whether you place your order before, during, or after the closure.
If you contact our team before the factory closure, our sales team will inform you right away about the impending factory closure and set to work getting your order into production as soon as possible. There are all kinds of ways to shorten production time, but one of the best things you can do is keep a steady stream of communication with our sales team. We’ll let you know what day an order needs to be submitted for production to ensure that it’s finished and shipped before the factory closes, and can have multiple proofs created on the same day to help finalize your order on time.
If you contact our sales team just a few days before or during the factory closure, we will let you know that there will be a delay in the production of your coins. While our art and sales teams are available to create artwork, make revisions and answer questions during factory closures, we still need to wait until the factory reopens to start work on the physical coins.
Ordering after a factory closure will affect turnaround times as well. Thousands of coins are made every day while the production facility is open, and the orders don’t stop while the plant is closed. This creates a backlog of orders that need to be tackled once the production line fires up again. When production shuts down for an afternoon or just a couple of days, there is usually no significant change in the production time table. A seven-day factory closure can add anywhere from two to three weeks in production time.
The delay on your order will depend on how long the factory was closed, the backlog of orders and the type of coins you order. Due to the custom nature of our products and the intricate process of creating challenge coins, we address each order on a case-by-case basis.
What You Need To Know Before Ordering
Every year, there are two big factory closures. The first is at the beginning of the year when the factory shuts down for seven days in late January to early February. The second takes place from October 1 — October 7. Scheduled maintenance closures come as they are needed, and we inform our customers as soon as we are aware of them. If you are worried about a factory closure affecting your order, here is what you need to do to help our team help you get the order on time:
Tell us your deadline right away
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Before getting started on artwork, make sure to give us a solid deadline. That way our sales team can tell you right away whether or not we can deliver on time. We are honest and upfront about our turnaround times, and if a production closure will affect your delivery time, we would rather you know right away than find out on the back end after everything has been ordered.
Order as soon as you can
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This cannot be stressed enough. A lot of projects are started early with plenty of time to spare but not finalized until the very last second, opening the door for all kinds of potential delays. As long as you keep a steady stream of communication with our sales team, we will be able to send artwork back and forth and keep the project moving.
Don’t be afraid to order while the factory is closed
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While the factory is closed, orders keep coming. When our production team fires up the factory again, they prioritize the orders that came in first and work their way through the backlog until everything is caught up.
Ordering challenge coins is an engaging process that involves imagination, experimentation and a whole lot of creativity. We want to make sure you can enjoy the process to its fullest potential, which means keeping you informed on everything involved in the production process. There is no need to stress about turnaround times, even when our factory is closed, because our sales team is open and honest about all possible delays and is ready to help meet any deadline.
