Hi everyone. Appreciate the comments and questions here. I'll provide a few answers and details. We're working hard to try to set up some new communication channels, and the kit status website is one of them.
I am wondering when they assign an estimated crating date. My RV-10 empennage was ordered five months ago (when the estimated lead time was 4 months), and there is no estimated date.
We will send it as soon as we reviewed and finalized the estimated crating date range for your order. That will be an automatic email notification process, with the specific info included in the email as well as a link to the site where you can review more.
I ordered my QB in May and they have an estimate of Aug-Oct 2022 for my crating date on my RV-14A. My lead has gone from 12months to 18months. Guess I just take my time building emp as best I can.
Unfortunately, delays across the supply chain have resulted in our forecasted lead times not always hitting the mark. We're adjusting and working on re-forecasting, with the understanding that we can't always know what may happen that could inject changes to the schedule. We will always do the best we can to estimate the timeframes involved, and this new communication system will help us communicate that in a much more timely and complete manner.
I ordered my RV-7 Finish kit in April '21 and was quoted a crate date of Sep. 30th. Per the status page, The parts are still being produced and there is no estimated crate date. It all ok with me, I've got lots of work left on the fuselage and wings
Me too.
We will add the estimated crating date range as soon as we are able to forecast it with reasonable accuracy (we are working through a number of supply chain variables here, many of which we don't control directly - but we are working to mitigate wherever possible), and whenever it is updated you'll get an email from the new system letting you know.
I too was disappointed to learn that my wing kit crate date is delayed an additional 2 months beyond the 6 months I've been waiting. Nevertheless, I understand there are factors well beyond Van's control that cause the delays.
At the same time, I applaud Van's for creating the Kit Status website which is a major improvement to their customer communication. The email notification of status changes is another feature that I especially appreciate. I imagine that these enhancements will reduce customer status inquiries, hopefully resulting in more time to focus on fulfilling orders.
That's certainly part of the goal, and we appreciate your understanding. We're working hard to try to accurately determine timeframes so we can communicate them to you!
Where the heck do you sign up for that? Can't find it anywhere.
You actually don't need to sign up, we set it up for you already. Once a status update is published, you'll get an email.
The information for my kits is incorrect, and an entire kit that I have ordered and paid for isn't even listed. Considering their performance across the board lately, I'm not surprised.
Please drop me an email (greg-at-vansaircraft-dot-com) and let me know your kit number and what's missing. I'll look into it personally.
When are people being quoted an 'estimated?' crate date? Is that when they call you and ask for the balance to be paid? Do they give you any window to make the payment if say, you are out of town? I believe that the led times posted on the website are for shipping, not crating. Crating takes up to four weeks supposedly, so crating should start a month in advance of the calculated lead time.
Good questions, and frankly we (Van's) created a bit of a complicated communications situation. So I will try to clarify what we've communicated in the past, and understand that we'll work to improve this going forward.
Crating Date - This is the estimated date (expressed as a window of time on the calendar) when we will assign your kit to our crating team's schedule. For QB customers, that window can initially be as long as a few months due to variables that can affect the schedule (a number of factors, but especially international container shipping these days). As the crating dates get closer, we refine those timeframes and update them. Note that for standard kit customers, we have not initially published crating dates on the site except for those whose kits are being crated in the next few weeks. We're working on standard kit projections and will update the data as soon as we can.
Lead Times - These are the times we publish on our website, and are the estimated times before a given kit can go out to our crating team.
Shipping Date - We've not communicated this specifically in the past (and we recognize that we need to, so we're working on that), but this is the approximate date upon which we believe we will be able to have a kit ready for the truck to pick up on our dock after the crating process is completed.
Datapoint: We have more than 1,600 pending kits on order right now and we're working diligently to get them ready to go to their new homes over time -- and to communicate better with everyone who's waiting. We're certainly not perfect, but we're working to get better in that regard!
I called Vans yesterday, before the Status Website email was sent, to inquire about my empennage status. I’d previously been told that it would crate in late September and ship in October. Yesterday, they told me it would go to crating “soon” and it would take two months to ship, once in crating. Then the Status email came and it says my empennage is in production. I ordered in May.
If it sounds like I’m grumbling, I’m not. It is purely a data point. I fully understand why and accept that. I’ll start banging rivets when it arrives, and not a minute before.
I'll check on this one, as well. As we refine and improve the information we can share on the kit status site, I believe everyone will have better information. Of note, we had some empennage/tail kit parts at a third-party vendor that were severely delayed, which substantially impacted our ability to deliver those kits. Much of those parts are coming in now, which will allow us to work on packing and shipping the kits they go into.
Wow, I feel for you guys! There was a time, many moons ago, that an empennage order was shipped the same week and yielded instant rivet banging. A glorious sensation it is. Hold strong and do something else, other than hit the refresh button on the new web page. Hopefully it will improve, because life can change so much in 18 months.
We'll get back to that point eventually. The massive increase in orders, combined with the supply chain problems and staffing issues at vendors and occasionally here at Van's have really beat up the schedule for sure. We're working to improve that wherever we can.
For reference, I ordered my -14 Emp kit and got on the list July 12th. This site says the kit is Status: Parts Being Produced, Estimated Delivery: (unset). My crating start lead time was originally estimated to be 4 months, and that is next week.
Also for reference, I got on the list for the Wings kit on September 10th, with an estimated crating start lead time of 9 months. The page gives the same status for both my emp and wings kit, so I'm guessing this page is pretty much useless until crating begins.
I have received literally no email updates regarding either of my kits since my order date, which I take to mean nothing has changed. I expect I will be sorely disappointed here shortly.
We'll do the best we can for you, and the whole point of the new kit status website is to help improve the communication. It will become useful for you in advance of crating, and we are refining and working on the data for standard kits that are not yet reflected on the new site. And I am glad to dive into your kit order statuses if you like - just shoot me an email or PM.
We're working to expand our capabilities here, and we both appreciate the frustration as well as the patience and understanding that most folks experience. We only have about 120 employees in total, so we're not a big company and we've invested more than ever in new systems and process improvements over the past several months. We're equally frustrated with the backlog, but we are doing everything we can to change the situation. We'll continue to endeavor to manage the significant number of variables that impact the delivery schedules. And we're working a lot of overtime, producing parts and packing/crating kits. I'm confident that over time, the steps we're taking will help.
Feel free to reach out to me directly, my "door" is always open.
greg