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TLDR: Strouse’s team will finalize your order information and confirm the production schedule. Your ship date will most likely fall within 8-10 weeks of receiving an order confirmation, depending on whether it is a new or existing deal. |
After days of mulling over your converting quote, you finally send back a confirmation. Yet without a confirmed shipping date, you may begin to feel a touch of uncertainty.
You’re not the only one who’s felt this way — our team has waited for our fair share of supplier order updates over the years, which is why we believe in maintaining process transparency for our customers.
Once you’ve read this, you will feel confident in the steps leading up to your ship date acknowledgement.
What Happens After I Place My Purchase Order with Strouse?
You’ve placed an order. Congratulations! It may take a few days to receive your ship date acknowledgement, though, so please allow us to explain why.
1. ORDER STATUS AND PAYMENT METHODS
There are two types of purchase orders: new orders and reorders.
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Placing new orders |
Placing reorders |
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When placing a new order, Strouse will enter your contact details into our system and compile information from the estimate for production purposes. During this stage, you’ll receive an email asking for your current payment details while our production managers review the job information to provide additional input on process planning. |
If you’re reordering a part, this stage will consist of checking the previous quote to ensure there haven’t been any changes since you last ordered. |
2. TOOLING ORDERS (IF ANY)
Many laser or flash cutting jobs do not require tooling; however, rotary and flatbed die cut press jobs require us to purchase a die cut tool.
- First, Strouse adapts your part drawing for whichever die cutting process is right for your application.
- This may entail slight adjustments to meet your requested specs.
- Second, we send the tooling drawing to a die cut toolmaker.
The tooling lead time is typically 1 to 6 weeks, but because it depends on factors such as the complexity of the tooling design, it can be difficult to predict with 100% accuracy.
3. MATERIAL ORDERS
Although we may carry your desired material, Strouse will most likely need to acquire it from suppliers. Depending on the material, lead time could range from 1-2 weeks to 3+ months.
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Strouse orders material |
You supply the material |
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If we have your material in-house, we’ll schedule your machine's runtime. Otherwise, we’ll need to order it and use the anticipated arrival to calculate your final ship date.* *If we do not have the material in-house and cannot get a sample roll for proofing, we have to wait for the actual order to arrive. This is a rare circumstance, but it does occur. |
You might be thinking about supplying your own material. If so, consider the pros and cons of using your own adhesive and whether it's a good fit for your project. Using your own adhesive will require you to deliver the material on time, so any material-based delays will be out of our hands. |
4. MACHINE RUN TIME SCHEDULING
Machine runtime relies on the successful coordination of all other elements in the purchasing process. Strouse considers two factors when scheduling machine runtime: machine and operator availability.
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Machine Availability |
Operator Availability |
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Certain jobs require specific machines, such as those requiring the higher sanitization standards of our ISO 7 Cleanroom. For each job, we anticipate the material runtime and plan accordingly. Ideally, we’ll schedule jobs for longer machine run times to avoid setup waste and save you money. |
Because of limited machine and operator availability, jobs are often scheduled further in advance. Operator availability is as essential as machine availability and requires forethought in assigning operators to jobs where they may have prior experience. |
The ultimate goal of this stage is to ensure we can deliver your parts on time, so be sure to factor in any part validation and verification (V&V) when setting your deadline.
5. FINAL SHIP DATE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
With the die cut tool, material, and machine run time scheduled, we are finally ready to declare your final ship date.
Your sales order acknowledgement includes: your billing address, shipping address, expected ship date, quantity, and part description. If you order multiple parts, there’s a separate page for each part in the same PDF.
If you want a more detailed view of your order acknowledgement, check out this article.
6. PRODUCTION AND SHIPMENT
Production and shipment are where the rubber meets the road: all the planning and organizing are about to pay off. If everything goes to plan, your order will be manufactured and shipped by the scheduled ship date in your acknowledgement, by the agreed method.
If anything occurs (such as updates, issues, or delays with your project), the Strouse customer success team will contact you with an explanation and answer any questions you may have.
What Might Cause an Order Delay?
Tooling and material lead times are the most likely factors to delay your purchase order. When these lead times are pushed back, they can have a domino effect on the entire process.
If suppliers don’t ship your material on time, Strouse will delay production and adjust our schedule accordingly. When orders encounter delays, Strouse will send a redate acknowledgement with a new shipping date.
Following up on a Strouse Order
If you would like to follow up with us regarding a specific order, feel free to call or email us at the following address:
Our team can answer any questions you have about orders and discuss your timeline. To read more about production timelines, you can also refer to the following:
- How Long Will it Take To Receive My Custom Die Cut Parts?
- What To Expect From Your First Order With Strouse
Originally posted: February 14, 2023
