Trying to Keep Up. A shop Update, June 2026.
An Honest Update on Order Fulfillment
Hey everyone,
I want to take a moment and be straight with you about where things stand with orders here at the shack.
First, thank you. I mean it. Every one of you who has placed an order, waited patiently, or sent a kind word checking in, your patience hasn't gone unnoticed. It means more than I can say.
Now, the honest part.
Where Things Stand
The short version: I'm behind, and I'm not going to pretend otherwise.
We never fully caught up on orders after Dayton Hamvention this year, which put us in a tight spot right out of the gate. Since then, things have gotten harder. Both of the contractors I rely on for assembly work are currently unavailable.
One of them lost his father recently. That's life, and family comes first, no one here is going to begrudge a man time to grieve. I'm thinking of him and his family. The other contractor is simply not currently available for work, and I'm not in a position to sugarcoat it or make excuses on anyone's behalf.
The result: it's just me. Solo. Building batteries one at a time, doing everything I can to push orders out the door.
What's NOT the Problem
I want to be clear about what's going well, because it's easy to assume the worst:
- Parts and inventory are solid. I've got a large stockpile of components on hand. Supply chain is not the bottleneck here.
- Printers are running. I have more than enough printing capacity to keep up with demand.
- Quality hasn't slipped. Every unit still gets the same care and QC it always has. If anything, I'm being more meticulous because I know you're waiting.
The bottleneck is simple: human hands. Mine.
What I'm Doing About It
I'm working as quickly as I responsibly can. That means building as many units as I can each day while still maintaining the quality standards you expect from W0AEZ. I'm not going to rush a battery out the door just to clear a queue, that's not how I operate and it's not how you deserve to be treated.
I'm also looking into options for bringing on additional assembly help. Every small business hits this wall at some point, and I'm working to get over it. Just know that I haven't given up on scaling up, it's just taking longer than I'd like.
What I'm Asking of You
Patience. A little more of it, if you can.
If you're waiting on an order, I haven't forgotten about you. You're in the queue, and I'm working through it as fast as two hands allow. If it's been a while and you want an update, send me a message, I'll give you a real answer, not a runaround.
Thank You
To everyone who has stuck with W0AEZ through the growth, through the Hamvention rush, and now through this stretch, I see you and I'm grateful.
This is a small, one-man operation. Sometimes that's a blessing, and sometimes it's a bottleneck. Right now it's a bottleneck. But the commitment to quality, to honest communication, and to getting every order fulfilled properly, that hasn't changed and it won't.
73 de Kevin, W0AEZ
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Questions, concerns, or just want to check on your order? Reach out. I'd rather hear from you than have you wonder.