Silca wrenches its way into tools with slick T-Handle wrench, Ti torque beam

I backed them on Kickstarter. This is exactly the sort of product I’ve been looking for when I travel.

hi the link you providet to silca goes to silca.com not to silca.cc

2 years ago I quit my job, took out a second mortgage AND a home equity loan, bought the SILCA brand and re-started it in my living room. We’ve now grown to 8 employees, launched over a dozen products and have completely self funded the whole way…generally living on the razor’s edge of cashflow so commonly experienced by rapidly growing small businesses. We can literally only grow our company up to the edge of our available cash, which generally has meant 1 large and 2 small projects underway at any given time…the success of each one funding the next.

On this project we used Kickstarter as it allows us to both add a second large project to the list and change our manufacturing model from CNC to Forged in order to hit a lower retail price. I can fully CNC this assembly and it would have a ~$150 retail, but if I forge 4 of the components I can get all of it to $100..and it’s a stronger part. So here’s the problem, forge tooling for those 4 components and minimum order quantities from the forging vendor will set us back more than that new Audi S4 wagon, up front..and I still have to finish machine, chrome plate, and assemble parts which takes 30+ days and involve other suppliers who need to be paid..then on average, we ship these parts to paying customers like distributors, shops or consumers and on average we end up getting paid about 20 days after shipment.

So, for our small, rapidly growing company, KS was an awesome way to interact with customers, gauge people’s reaction to the project, estimate quantities, and best of all, it allowed us to take this project on as an additional project which could be treated almost as a stand alone business within our business, and all without disrupting or cash draining our other active developments. Without Kickstarter we can’t forge as the tooling cost alone would cost enough that we have to kill off or postpone another project. So Kickstarter allowed us to take an either/or decision and choose Both.

Ultimately, I’d call this a win for everybody, consumers get a better (forged) tool at a lower cost (~33% lower, 46% lower if you buy on Kickstarter). We get to make and sell those better tools, and sell more of them because of the more attainable price. Our company grows faster than it would have because we can do more projects, and hires more people (we will already have to hire 1 additional just to handle this product)..and the only loser is the bank who will not be receiving additional interest of fees associated with us taking out any additional loans..).

Will buy Silca!