After a successful first run, you’re ready to order more custom products. Yet, you might not realize that the re-order process involves more than simply grabbing more products off our shelves.
Since the dawn of Strouse, we’ve received thousands of re-orders from our partners and clients. Even though we’ve filled an order in the past, we must still take specific steps to ensure you receive an accurate quote and timeline.
This guide will teach you the timeline and help improve your reordering process. Once you’ve read it, you’ll understand what the re-order process looks like with Strouse and how to place one.
What Are the Steps to a Strouse Re-Order?
The re-order process remains the same regardless of how long it’s been since you placed your last order with Strouse.
STEP 1: REQUEST A RE-QUOTE
Due to raw material prices, which are often subject to change, quotes have a time limit. Our quotes are valid for 90 days, after which you’ll need to request a re-quote on your project.
Getting a re-quote is the first step to placing your order. To request a re-quote, you’ll want to email us at:
This is Strouse’s go-to contact for order requests, and it’s monitored hourly. Depending on how long it's been since our last contact, it also might be time to re-exchange contact information and mailing addresses.
WHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR TIMELINE
We often receive the same question about our re-quoting timeline: “You’ve issued a quote on this order before, so why is there a delay?”
I asked Dave Debus and Jeff Prehoda, members of Strouse’s dedicated estimating team, their thoughts. According to them, issuing a re-quote isn’t as easy as adjusting the original date; instead, estimators inspect the new timeframe, material pricing, and any changes to the job process.
Checking and comparing vendor prices can take time. In addition, part of the process is looking at our records to see whether the last job met its previous estimate.
“We want to make sure that the customer is getting the best price possible, which helps us too,” Debus explained. “It’s kind of a win/win for both parties.”
Our back records tell us how production went and whether we encountered any hurdles. This allows us to observe how fast the machine ran to adjust the price according to prior runs.
“Certain jobs require more attention to detail to get the proper required updates,” added Prehoda, referring to process complexity.
In short, re-quotes aren’t as straightforward as asking about the price of a donut—there will likely be a brief waiting period as our team re-evaluates the efficiency of your job process.
If you plan on placing recurring orders, consider placing blanket purchase orders to plan ahead, reduce material lead times, and achieve a better minimum order quantity.
STEP 2: PLACING AN ORDER
Once you’ve received your re-quote, you can decide whether or not to place a re-order.
Q: “What information should I include in my email when placing a re-order?”
A: When you place an order, please include any relevant information for our team to refer to.
For instance, you might include one or more of the following:
1. Your previous purchase order number
2. Purchase acknowledgements
3. Invoices
4. Part number
After you place your order, Strouse will order any necessary tooling and material and schedule your machine run time.
Re-orders With Design Changes
Re-ordering parts is a relatively simple process, but changes to design, material, or packaging will change the overall process, meaning your product must pass through our engineering development.
Our engineers will then review your design changes to ensure that your part functions properly during production and meets the same specified measurements and tolerances. Remember that re-orders with changes will take slightly longer because they require a product update.
Ready To Place Your Re-order?
Now that you know how to place your re-order with Strouse, you’re ready to navigate the process seamlessly.
Feel free to send us a message at the email address mentioned above to begin the process of a material re-quote. We encourage you to contact us if you have any more questions about the timeline of your re-order.
Lastly, if you’re not searching for a re-quote now, you can learn more about our manufacturing capabilities to see how we can help with future projects.
Originally published: August 22, 2023
