We are slightly under the pump this week having to get the orders out and in store by Friday. The outlying areas will be collected tomorrow and local deliveries we will start dispatching on Thursday. This is not ideal mainly because the outer skins for the punch bags only arrived Thursday night. This is not a big order ,but the material being used is not what I would have selected. This material in the photographs was what was available locally and will only get my chosen textile waste all 32 tons of it in a few weeks time.
The above photo is the material I will be using in the future which s basically textile waste that has ben through 3 different processes which includes washing and drying along with a shredder that turns the material into fine threads.
This is ideal for many reasons mainly being it has been treated and carefully prepared and is one step away from turning this back into yarn which is spun onto huge rolls once it has been dyed. This is how textile waste is being repurposed and recycled making more clothing etc. Very few countries do this and we are very lucky firstly to have found this company and secondly to be able to get our hands on this textile waste as this is like hens teeth.
Today I had another meeting to finalise the end price even though I had told them I would match their target price. I do not think they believed me at first ad finally revealed the exact costs today. They had been open and honest so I did the same and they were a little stunned. They just wanted to make sure this was a viable business and that I would be able to make a profit whilst supplying them with a great product.
The two filling ingredients are the key here with the textile waste different to all other material they have used in the past. This holds it's weight even though this has been shredded into small pieces. I would not need so many people like I do in the photograph above having 7 currently. I have calculated I can manage with 3 and already is a massive saving on costs. Savings will happen automatically now like the recycled plastic for the sand tubes will be another 40% saved on that 1 item alone. The river sand bill can be cut in half once the buying in bulk starts.
The river sand which no one has used in the past in South Africa and had to find out that the top punching bags around the world use river sand placed in plastic tubes which is exactly what we now do. I just wished someone had told me sooner because I would have been better prepared. Still the positive is we were already going down the river sand rabbit hole and why things moved very quickly. The river sand is where the real profit is made ad would use more if I could, but I am also responsible for supplying a quality product and why I am sticking to a 50/50 weight ratio between the two fillers.
The price meeting was actually quite funny as they had added their entire costs in order to reach their target price and once I gave my costs and agreed with their costings and we were done. This took all of 3 minutes with the final numbers having been accepted so even though I already knew it this business is officially up and running.
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