What would you do to improve my layout?

Printwizard

Sounds cool Inkowrks, post away! We have a sign shop separate to our textile because of fluff and dust and static and moisture etc, how do you get around that?

Prosperi-Tees

I probably should downsize the manual, I still get alot of 12 pc orders that I dont fire the auto up for but I probably could get away with a 4/1 manual. I really do need a bigger building thats for sure. Thanks for the replies and keep em comin.

Inkworks

4:1 suck unless you're doing 12 shirts or less like you say, leave them to the yudo- home crowd. A one color/one station can be handy though. Eventually you'd regret that decision I think. At some point you'll come up with a number of shirts and number of colours printed point split between the auto and the manual. This number varies shop to shop depending on about 1000 variables so you'll need to come up with your own.

my bet is you'll outgrow that shop pretty quickly if you're at all successful, so I'd opt for crammed in there for now and start shopping for the bigger space at a bargain price.

I've upsized twice already in under 5 years, and I'm hoping Tuesday is my third time (public council meeting for a zoning change Monday evening, keep your fingers crossed for me). the shop I'm in is just a little bigger than what you've posted, and the ridiculous lack of room to move has been a running joke with the employees for over a year. we have to move product to get at equipment, move equipment to get at other equipment and when we're busy having to walk 7/8 of the way around the shop to go 10' as the crow flies isn't unusual at all. Doing a 4'x8' sign is a major exercise in shop re-arrangement.

You're far better off these days being crammed for a year or two compared to paying bigger rent and rattling around while you grow your customer base.

Prosperi-Tees

I think that is what will happen, Ill squeeze all I can out of this and when my lease is up in 18 months I will for sure get AT LEAST double the space preferrably triple.

Inkworks

Present (too crammed, even empty) Shop:

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Prosperi-Tees

How big is your shop?

Inkworks

So in my present shop,throw in an order of wineglasses of 4000pcs or so and you get a stack of boxes the size of a 3/4 van, and many orders get printed 2 sides, so they go through the pad printer and conveyor oven twice. Add in 10-30 orders of anything from golfballs to umbrellas to stainless waterbottles or lord-forbid even a big t-shirt order and we are paralyzed with product. every conceivable spot, under every table, on top of the office, stacked in every nook and cranny is product, orders, inventory. Keeping lint out of other areas is a no-go.

I don't think I could re-arrange it any better than it is.

The front office has become the finished product area.

I do hate to leave this shop though as the landlord is not only generous and a good customer, but the shop is brand new well insulated and has a high efficiency furnace (-7F here yesterday)

The new shop is 3.5 times the space for just over twice the rent. And has much better exposure as it's on a main route. The only funny thing is it's completely surrounded by residential as it used to be a convenience store. It's older, but also has central air which is great in the summer.

I'm still not 100% happy with the work-flow in the new shop layout, the 12/14 auto I just paid for yesterday really put a dent in the free space, but we won't be dying trying to do 600pcs. 6 colour on a manual anymore. The conveyor is used by 4 different machines too, so that was tricky. Plans for a big addition/bay are on the menu for a few years from now to get the sign stuff and work benches out, as well as vehicle graphic installs.

Inkworks

Present shop = just under 1000sq/ft
New Shop = 2880sq/ft + 400 detached storage

Prosperi-Tees

I have my eyes on a couple shops here in town. I know they probably wont be available when I am ready to move but you never know commercial spaces are aplenty here right now.

The first space is 1900 sq ft of open span on one of the 3 major streets in the town but the rent is about $1.00 a ft. 200 amp single phase power

The second space is 3250 sq ft of open span (have to build out a office/showroom and tie into community restrooms for plumbing) in an industrial area for about $.33 a ft with 200 amp three phase power

The third space is 1900 sq ft (400 sq ft showroom/1500 sq ft warehouse) for about $.45 a ft with 200 amp single phase (what I like about this is the warehouse is insulated and air conditioned! 100-110 degrees for 3 months out of the year here)

Inkworks

Those prices are per month right?

I'm tempted to say just go for the biggest space, and 3 phase is a huge asset for big automatics, flashes, ovens etc. but you can do it all single phase if you need too. You'd probably want 400amps of single phase . Your business #'s will have to be the real deciding factor in how big and how fast to grow. Last year we grew 90% and the year before that were up 125%. Most of that is because we're a new business, and the economy up here in Canada did not take the same hit. We also have a diversified product/service line-up because we're in a small town market.

Shop location can be your biggest advertising so you need to assign a value to that.

how long have you been in business?