Sign Improvement

Subject: Shipping Damage and a Better Way Forward

Hi Li,

I want to start by saying how much I enjoy working with you. You are responsive, helpful, and the quality of the signs and letters you manufacture is excellent. I am working through how we can best continue working together, because I would very much like to keep ordering from you.

The main problem we need to solve is freight damage. The products are beautiful when they leave your shop, but several recent shipments have arrived damaged because the crates or internal packaging were not strong enough.

The East Alder Table sign is a good example. The sign itself was beautifully made, but it arrived badly dented because the crate was made only from approximately 1/2-inch plywood without a proper structural frame. For future signs like this, I think the best solution may be for you to manufacture the letters and logo components, while I manufacture the cabinet here. Reducing the size and weight of the shipment should make it easier to protect the finished pieces.

The Walla Walla Wealth and Walla Walla Tax signs were also beautiful, but they arrived with damage caused by the packaging and crate. I was able to repair them well enough that the client was satisfied, but the repairs required a considerable amount of my time.

The newest example is the Hess Law Office project. Again, the quality of the work is excellent. Each piece was wrapped in closed-cell foam and then bubble wrap, which was a very good start. Unfortunately, all of the wrapped pieces were placed together loosely in one cardboard box. During shipping, the sharp corners and edges of some letters pressed against the painted faces of other letters.

As a result, 14 of the 40 metal pieces have scratches, dents, or both. The small plastic logo pieces arrived in good condition. Most of the damage is scratches, but two letters are dented, and the large exterior “S” was crushed more seriously.

See below for a complete record of the damage to both the interior and exterior sets. I can also take and send detailed photographs of each damaged piece if that would be helpful.

I believe the HESS letters might have survived the shipment if there had been strong cardboard dividers between every individual letter, so that no letter could move against another. For larger shipments, the outside crate also needs a structural wood frame rather than plywood panels alone. The crate must be able to resist bending and crushing during freight handling.

I am not bringing this up to criticize your work. I want to help develop a packaging method that allows you to continue making these excellent products for me and ensures that they arrive undamaged. I value our relationship and would like us to find a reliable system together.

I am also unsure about the best solution for the damaged HESS pieces. The client is eager to have the sign installed. I could install the scratched interior letters now and replace the damaged pieces later. However, the exterior sign is on the second floor, and I must rent a lift for the installation. Returning later to replace the large damaged “S” would double the installation cost.

I am considering trying to match the black paint and repair the large Hess sign but I am not confident that I can restore the dented shape and finish to the quality the client expects. Please let me know what you recommend. If I did choose to paint the scratches, could you help me find matching paint?

I truly appreciate the quality of your manufacturing and all the help you have given me. I want to continue building our business together, and I am confident that we can solve the shipping problem.

Thank you, Li.

Cheers,

David