What I've learned is the it all comes down to the individual customer and what priorities they hold highest. For example, if you take your car to the dealership to get new brakes, the price is 3-4 times more than if you were to just do it yourself. So why is the service lane still full day in and day out? Well, some people don't have the skills or the tools to maintenance their vehicle themselves. Some people might have the tools, but not the confidence or maybe even just the free time to perform their own maintenance. And some people just don't even want to think or worry about, "just tell me how much I owe and when I can come pick it up." So you see, it can all be summed up as different strokes for different folks.
The laser world is no exception and so the type of customer we cater to is the type that holds the service and worry-free aspect higher than the amount of money and precious time they'd spend. Now, to offer this service on a large scale, like in the dealership example, you can't simply go Your Price - My Cost = Profit. There is a staggering list of costs associated with running an operation like this, especially in the laser industry. We're talking warehouse space, office space, sales staff, admin staff, skilled technicians, shipping brokers, logistic companies, freight forwarders, liability insurance, insurance claims, advertising, content building, showroom space, quality control, technical support, repairs and lets not forget 28.5% import duties before we even touch the thing.
You'd be surprised, there are many times where the juice is just not worth the squeeze. You can tie up your best technician for 3 days solid working on a stubborn machine only to ship it out late and then have the shipping company destroy it in transit. As a business, what choice do you have? You accept your fate and you roll with the punches. You rush out that second machine, you fight the insurance company, you ship out that replacement 150W laser tube for the 4th time, you put that technician on the next flight out and you work twice as hard to try to make up that loss before the next incident occurs. Believe it or not, just a few weeks ago we had 4 machines get damaged in transit on the same day! It is absolutely mind boggling how much loss we deal with, but at the end of the day, it's exactly the reason why our customers pay a premium versus going about it on their own.
So for the DIY person, you're absolutely right, you can source your own machine, fumble through the export/import process, troubleshoot on the forums and get a free education in lasers and motion control systems all for a fraction of the cost. But for the average startup company, for the expanding small business, for the intimidated first time buyer who is hardly proficient in computers much less technically savvy, we offer the luxury of providing a quality product, reliable after sale support and a worry free experience free from all the frustrations and horror stories we've seen on this forum.
In the end, it really comes down to the individual. If your top priority is getting as much machine for as little money, then there are plenty of people on this forum to help you do just that, but if you want a turn key solution that shows up at your door step with a magic lamp inside that you can rub whenever you have a problem, that's where we come in. So as personal rule of thumb, before I give anyone any advice, I always find out what they hold highest on their priority list. Only then will I know what type of customer they are and which direction to point them in.
Danny Martinez
Engraving Machines Plus, Corp.
(321) 821-7774
danny@engravingmachinesplus.com
Melbourne, FL
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