Sunpath Delivery Time

[FallRate6 0]

Does anyone know why Sunpath would not increase their production in order to speed up their delivery time for custom containers. It seems that they are losing lots of business because of this.

[jumpwally 0]

Cuz, they are not making pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving Holidays,,it costs money to hire and train people and only to let them go when things slow down is not a smart practice...

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[SkyjunkySean 0]

Sunpaths customer service, in general, sucks ass. If anyone comments I will elaborate, or better send them an e-mail regarding your javelin, and see for yourself.

[FallRate6 0]

How many years do you let delivery times cause you to lose sales before it becomes cost effective to hire and train people to increase production?

[SkyjunkySean 0]

Agreed. Why WASTE your hard earned cash for poor customer service, when you canget OUTSTANDING customer service from either Mirage, or VSE ? How far should Brand loyalty extend ?

[VTmotoMike08 0]

And the 6 month-ish that the quote is not what you really get. It will get extended. My friend ordered one and was quoted 6 months. Actual time after delays- 10 and a half months! And it was not exceptionally fancy or anything.

[skybill 18]

Hi Fall,
Hmmm??? So how do you "increase their production??" Hire more people, buy more sewing machines, buy more material, got $$$!! Just getting "Competent" people is a good start!! Find someone to work and "sew a straight line" first! Welcome to the wonderful world of "Cut-N-Sew Rag Shop!!" I've worked a bunch, from major Aerospace (McDonnell Douglas ACES II) to hole in the wall joints (Paranetics, South ElMonte,CA). Sunpath was bigger. Pat has her hands full as I sure so does Billy Booth and the guys at Mirage!! Trying to keep asshole Skydivers happy, one rig at a time!!! "This teal clashes too much with the watermellon and pumpkin on my main container racing stripes!!" OH Brother!!

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[FallRate6 0]

I may guess that where Sunpath is located now in the textile part of the country that finding some good people to sew would be easier than in a lot of other places. Especially since a lot of the textile work has been moved to China or somewhere else overseas. Why not purchase a few more machines and hire a few more people and get them trained? I mean that if the work is there sometimes it's best to get while the gettin is good.

[hyperslug 0]

You said "asshole skydivers" when you should have said "customers".

[skybill 18]

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You said "asshole skydivers" when you should have said "customers".

Hi hy,
Sorry, I really have to laugh....After all these years,....I really think you'll never really understand. At this point in time in your development, the trip is a bit too esoteric for you to comprehend.

I've worked in both ends of the "Parachute Rag Trade" Aerospace and Sport and as for the people that work in it "And" the "customers" one thing for sure about both...."BIG EGOS!!!!" Got that??

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[riggerpaul 1]

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How many years do you let delivery times cause you to lose sales before it becomes cost effective to hire and train people to increase production?

I suspect that they are not losing the business you think they are, or they would change things.

To SkyJunkieSean, the whole notion of brand loyalty hinges on the idea that you continue with your preferred brand in spite of other options. If someone really wants a Javelin, he has to wait. That's all there is to it. Brand loyalty isn't really about making sense. It is about wanting what you want in spite of the sometimes less than sensible aspects of it.

Just like some people love their Mirages or Infinities, or whatever, some love their Javelins. It sometimes looks a bit like religion. To someone on the outside, lots of religions look pretty similar. But don't tell that to the congregation. This is not totally different from what we see with brand loyalty in the skydiving industry. Sometime, to some people, it doesn't make much sense. But to the people in each of the respective camps, it makes complete sense.

If the OP is complaining about the delivery time, it seems to me that he ordered a Javelin despite the delivery time. It isn't like they are hiding it.

I don't know how he came to his selection, but he did come to it. Sure, it would be nice for him if they delivered more quickly, but he was free to order something else. But, in fact, he ordered a Javelin.

To FallRate6, who mentioned Sunpath's move that puts them in the "textile part" of the country, do you think a lot of those people have a bunch of experience with a harness machine? When you consider, for example, the problems caused by 1 needle strike on the hardware when you build a harness, I think I'd prefer not to get mine from the new guy on the machine.

To all, let's face the facts. This sport is a tiny market, which leads to a captive market. We're lucky to have as many players as we do. We certainly didn't always.

[hyperslug 0]

Yo bill,

Having seen both ends, any insight as to what is going on at Sunpath? Too much aerospace to keep sport alive?

[antonija 0]

A friend of mine was quoted 30 weeks and ended up waiting 13 months. I don't care if the thig is made of gold and comes sprinkled with diamonds, I'm not waiting a year to get new container.

One would think that with this massive wait time they would either
1. increase their production capability
2. decrease availability of their container (increase price basically)

#2 would shorten their wait time and also give them more profit with no extra charges.

I understand the need for conformity. Without a concise set of rules to follow we would probably all have to resort to common sense. -David Thorne

[FallRate6 0]

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To FallRate6, who mentioned Sunpath's move that puts them in the "textile part" of the country, do you think a lot of those people have a bunch of experience with a harness machine? When you consider, for example, the problems caused by 1 needle strike on the hardware when you build a harness, I think I'd prefer not to get mine from the new guy on the machine.

I think that with how long the delivery times have been, they could probably have been training people for quite a while and he would not be the new guy on the machine now.

[riggerpaul 1]

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To FallRate6, who mentioned Sunpath's move that puts them in the "textile part" of the country, do you think a lot of those people have a bunch of experience with a harness machine? When you consider, for example, the problems caused by 1 needle strike on the hardware when you build a harness, I think I'd prefer not to get mine from the new guy on the machine.

I think that with how long the delivery times have been, they could probably have been training people for quite a while and he would not be the new guy on the machine now.

Then, by all means, buy them out and implement your plans.

They already have a significant influx of new people as a result of the move in the first place. When I ask questions, it sometimes takes responses from several people before I get the correct answer. This tells me they are still working out the bugs that resulted from moving and having to leave some of the experienced staff behind. A few months on these jobs does not make you experienced. I expect that the people who can teach new people have their hands quite full already.

Would you rather have good gear that took longer to get, or gear that you received quickly, but has problems when you get it?

Ramping up production now could be the worst possible thing for the long term viability of the company, because the damage to their reputation could be irreversible. That's their decision, your disappointment notwithstanding.

Why did you buy a Javelin in the first place? Certainly not because of their quick delivery times.

[davelepka 4]

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Does anyone know why Sunpath would not increase their production in order to speed up their delivery time for custom containers. It seems that they are losing lots of business because of this.

I am not 100% sure of this, but I think that sport rig orders (single rigs) take a back seat to military orders (way more than one rig). As such, a $50k military order gets pushed to the front of the line and all labor, machinery, and inventory resources will be dedicated to that order.

The other problem is that the Javelin is a popular rig. Whatever production capacity they do have for sport rigs has a 'healthy' backlog for orders. Even if they lose half of their sport rig customers due to a 12 month delivery time, that still leaves them with all of their military business and a 6 month backlog of sport rig orders. Not exactly a 'problem' from Sunpath's point of view.

Truthfully, I'm surprised that canopy and container manufacturers don't offer a 'rush charge'. I gladly pay the extra $40 to get my jumpsuits in a week, and on a purchase like a rig or canopy I could see $150 or $200 to guarantee delivery in a month.

[Deyan 31]

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Does anyone know why Sunpath would not increase their production in order to speed up their delivery time for custom containers. It seems that they are losing lots of business because of this.

They are part of CPS and because of that they don't really care about the sport market

"My belief is that once the doctor whacks you on the butt, all guarantees are off" Jerry Baumchen

[Remster 24]

Its not that simple, marketing wise.

As strange as it seems, people value scarcity. Yes, its a balance you need to maintain with availability, but having a product that not all people can get (in the time they want) actually can increase demand.

Remster

[skybill 18]

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Yo bill,

Having seen both ends, any insight as to what is going on at Sunpath? Too much aerospace to keep sport alive?

Hi hy,
'Yer guess is as good as mine?? Don't know. Lots of variables; the economy, "the move," personnel changes, take yer pick and add more!!

Wanna heat up the debate?? Try "Skydiving is a Capitalist business model trying to make it into what's becomming a "Socialist Economy!!" Just a 2cent thought. SC here we go!!

Maybe Barry will take over the business and "redistribute" Javelins to everyone!!!!

"This a Joke, another Chicken Joke!!!" (LaughIn!!)

SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

[FallRate6 0]

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Ramping up production now could be the worst possible thing for the long term viability of the company, because the damage to their reputation could be irreversible. That's their decision, your disappointment notwithstanding.

Why did you buy a Javelin in the first place? Certainly not because of their quick delivery times.

Maybe you are correct, I don't know.
I used to own a Javelin and jumped it for many years, I really liked it. It was a container that I bought that had just a few jumps on it. I have owned a Talon, Vector, and Mirage also. I am now in the market for a new container. I am not leaning towards Javelin simply because of the delivery time. I am sure that I am not the only one that is completely satisfied with the product but not sure I am willing to wait 6 months or more when there are several other really good containers with much quicker delivery times.

[mjosparky 3]

You gotta go with the money.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[riggerpaul 1]

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Ramping up production now could be the worst possible thing for the long term viability of the company, because the damage to their reputation could be irreversible. That's their decision, your disappointment notwithstanding.

Why did you buy a Javelin in the first place? Certainly not because of their quick delivery times.

Maybe you are correct, I don't know.
I used to own a Javelin and jumped it for many years, I really liked it. It was a container that I bought that had just a few jumps on it. I have owned a Talon, Vector, and Mirage also. I am now in the market for a new container. I am not leaning towards Javelin simply because of the delivery time. I am sure that I am not the only one that is completely satisfied with the product but not sure I am willing to wait 6 months or more when there are several other really good containers with much quicker delivery times.

Okay, I see now that you are in the selection process, as opposed to already having an order in. That's certainly a different matter, and it is absolutely the right time to ask the question. I apologize for misunderstanding your post.

Ignoring the religious issues associated with container selection, there are many containers available that are of an excellent level of quality and workmanship. If you find that one of them suits you, maybe Sunpath will lose your business. I don't see that a a particularly good or bad thing. It is just the way things go.

Either way, I am certain that Sunpath is making their business decisions according to their perceptions of what is most important for their business. Sometimes their needs will suit our desires, and sometimes they will not. Sure it would be nice to get a rig a week after you order it, but I also wouldn't want that convenience to result in rigs costing even more than they already do, or possibly even forcing them to go out of business.

It has been a long long time since I bought my Javelin, and I will admit, that I got mine super quick compared to the delivery times of today. But I did that by doing my best to fit my needs to theirs. I called my gear dealer and asked what he had in stock. He didn't have anything on the shelf, but he had a suitable rig coming in soon as long as I didn't mind that it was all black. That suited me fine, and I had a rig in about 2 weeks. Then again, that was in 1994. Today maybe you cannot do what I did then.