OMNI PRODUCTION UPDATE #2
Production Update
As I’m sure you know already, we’ve made a ton of new molds for this project. The samples I’ve been skating use the 295 molds, which include the cuffs, boots, shock absorbers, frames and antirocker wheels. Many of these molds are reused for other skate sizes, but there’s a lot of new molds unique to each shell.
The new molds are just about finished with textures being added as the final stage. This is a week behind where we planned but I still don’t know what impact this will have on production as the raw materials are still not on hand. I expect mass production to start next week on the hardware and after final signoff on the new skate sizes they should start making the plastic parts. I’ll keep you posted as I learn more.
If you’ve never seen a mold before, and were wondering why they’re so expensive, here’s a picture of the 271 soul plates as well as the full tooling for injection. It’s pretty wild how much metal is used to make these parts!
Packaging
We’re finalizing the box design this weekend and wanted to share how the skates will be packaged to handle all three configurations (complete, boot only, shell only). Our boxes are using craft cardboard and are as small as possible to limit internal movement and keep a smaller footprint. The same box will be used for all boot configurations with the complete skates having ready to roll frames included on the side.
Yes, you’ll need to mount your frames to the boots. This is a great way for new skaters to learn about UFS, that their stock frames are only the beginning. It also makes it easier for shops to customize orders and keep less skates in inventory. #supportShops
Thanks for your patience during this production. We should have another update for you next week with some more pictures from the factory.
As always, if you need to make any changes to your order, please let us know. We’re happy to adjust sizing, colors, or even cancel if you need to. We appreciate your trust, and couldn’t do this project without your support.
Best,
Lawrence