Question Avg turn around time on framing

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alaskanframer

alaskanframer

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
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Feb 4, 2008
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What is your avg turn around time on framing?
Wooden or metal frame, 2 mats uv glass a basic frame job nothing complicated, size approx 18x24.

Where are you located? ( wondering based on suppliers & shipping time)

Avg frame orders taken in a month? (approx)

We sit at about 2.5 to 3 weeks on most items finishing them in the order the come in. Avg order for supplies to our area of Alaska is chops 4 days all other supplies about 1.5 weeks from time of order to delivery to our doors.
We do offer same day (instock) and dated due dates.
I sure there is an older thread on this but I would like to see new info.
Thanks for all input.
 
Jan through April, 1.5 weeks
May and June, 2 weeks
July and August, 3 weeks
Sept through Dec, 2 weeks

Our workload dictates our turnaround time. In July and August at our busiest, we are working overtime, have extra help and still can't get it done in less than 3 weeks. Our suppliers deliver weekly.
 
I book about 1 week to 10 days. I also do production work as well as custom so I can have anywhere from 100 to 300 pieces to do in a month, but just custom, I guess around 15 to 20 pieces per week on average. I am in the Pacific Northwest, on Vancouver Island. we get our stock from Vancouver 2 times a week.
 
we offer one day and avg is a week, but we stock lots of mouldings and mat boards, we only get 1 delivery a week from 2 different suppliers, no other suppliers will send trucks to us in the boonies.
 
I turn orders like this in one week or less. Suppliers are available locally. I can get most anything I need in less than 3 business days. Normally, next day. If I pick-up, same day.
 
Kind of funny that I had just printed this sign out an hour ago. I have never seen so many framing emergencies in my life. Everybody just wants it to be easy for them and are not concerned how many orders are ahead of them. Once this policy is implemented (TODAY) my turn around time will get back to about 3 days. Now I do about 50 rush items and 50 scheduled items per week. Customers that get pushed back get ticked off and many of the rushes don't pick up on time.
 

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One week is typical. One day or even one hour if needed. We too stock a ton of moulding and matboards. We are in central Ohio and can get deliveries from 3 vendors. 1 will give us 5 deliveries a week, but I almost always pick up since I drive by them on my way to work in the morning. The other 2 both give me 2 deliveries a week.

Jeff, I think $1 is too cheap. I would go for $5 and take the normal time down to 10 business days.
 
couture's gallery said:
we only get 1 delivery a week from 2 different suppliers, no other suppliers will send trucks to us in the boonies.
Click to expand...

ROTFLMAO!

:shrug:Sorry, pick myself up and answer the question now...

We are in a similar situation as Alaskan Framer, but we do not order chops.... too expensive. We try to order once a month from a supplier, and stockpile for big jobs and/or frequently used frame styles. A rush order costs us from $75 - $100 for shipping alone, so most are willing to wait or use something in stock. One supplier has a truck that apparently comes within 4 hours (or less) of us on a bi-weekly schedule, and we would gladly meet it once we find out the schedule.
Glass has to be bulk ordered as all suppliers will only ship it on pallets.
 
FrameMakers said:
Jeff, I think $1 is too cheap. I would go for $5 and take the normal time down to 10 business days.
Click to expand...

I think this will sort them out. This month alone I would have gained over $400 so far. Mostly artists waiting till the last minute for a show next week. I will almost always do the paintings on canvas while they wait up to 4" moulding. I just don't need any extra art piled in here than I have to have. The artists will spread the word and they will get the work in earlier.

I always call the customer within 15 minutes of the time a job is complete so they will almost never have to wait 2 weeks. I get rather grouchy when I am swamped. My family also misses me.
 
Jeff, if you can't get the job done in your alloted time (maybe due to a vendor not delivering) do you give customers a rebate of $1 a day?
 
I'm one week all year round unless it's a 'project' - and if it's not the queue (line) can be jumped all the way down to while-u-wait.

One supplier delivers on their own van every Weds but they can ship stuff if needs be.

The rest have a standard 3 day delivery but it often comes next day if I order early in the a.m. - I can guarantee that if I want to pay extra for it, and with most I have until midday for that, but with one supplier I can do that up until 4 p.m. - length or chop.

I think I like the idea of offering a $ (£) amount per day rebate for not completing the job on time - could be a good promo idea - as long as you can figure out how never to have it called!
 
I'm all in stock Bob and only run out of mat board occasionally. I get a delivery once a week but keep several sheets of every color board in stock. The problem is that if one customer jumps ahead of another it may use mats that were for an order already in the system.

You gotta pay a dollar to get it promised early. Most customers will get their work very early and the system will be much less stressful this way.
 
My turn around time is about 1 week. We have some stock so we can always do rush jobs for those who forgot about Aunt Sues birthday or whatever.

I have been scaling back the amount of in stock mouldings lately. its just too expensive to carry too many mouldings on speculation.

We get deliveries from several suppliers who deliver once a week, others ship next day, but I always wait to make one order per week to reduce delivery charges.

Depending on the time of year we do between 125 and 300 frames per month.
 
We have one supplier that will deliver next day during the week. Two others will deliver twice a week. (We usually time everything to only need to order from each one once a week though.)

Turn around time for an average order is 2 weeks. (At least we tell the customers that, and then if it does get done faster, they get all excited!)

Bigger projects might take a day or two longer than normal if we have something easier to do wth two people.

I do charge extra for a rush if the customer is nasty or rude about it... if it's just that they forgot about their grandmother's birthday, I don't charge them. :)

I'm about to start charging a "storage fee" for pieces left here for pickup more than 10 or 14 days ... I don't have space to store every finished piece, and I've had quite a few people take six months, or even a couple of years, to pick something up. Argh!
 
I do almost everything in a week or less. It's unusual if it takes longer. I work with many vendors but glass from 2 and matboard from 3. I stock about 100 mouldings with many others special order.

I don't charge a rush fee unless I have to order something next day air.

Rush fees will depend on your location. When I worked in NYC we charged double for a rush and got it.
 
Pangolin said:
I'm about to start charging a "storage fee" for pieces left here for pickup more than 10 or 14 days ... I don't have space to store every finished piece, and I've had quite a few people take six months, or even a couple of years, to pick something up. Argh!
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I require payment in full up front so I don't have much problem with people not picking up fairly quickly. I do get very annoyed when they have me rush and then don't get it right away.
 
Our normal custom turn around time is 3 weeks. We take rush orders on a one on one basis. Our area has local deliveries from 4 different companies. I utilize 2 of the companies with one delivery per week from each. On occasion, I will order from one of the other companies.

We started requiring full payment up front the first of this year. Have not had much resistance. It's usually the $500 plus orders that want to pay a deposit.
 
Turn around time

I can usually frame a standard job (design time, mats, UV glass, frame, chop and join, fitting, in about 1.5 hrs. unless I get interrupted by customers...but most of my clients are willing to wait a week or two, or longer if needed. I stock about 400 different mouldings, at least 20' of each or more, and also stock matboard, foamboard, glass, etc., and that allows for a quicker turn around time. We are rather isolated (Alaska), so it's important to have stock on hand. I'll order straight cut moulding (not chops), if a customer wants something I don't currently have in stock. Most of the time, my clients just drop their artwork off and say, "Work your magic." I framed 926 pictures last year, about 17 a week.
 
I turn around standard orders in about 3 days, but always tell the customer one week. The only exception is frames I am making from scratch or frames that require modifications of structure or finishes.

It would take me about an hour to complete the job you describe. If pushed, I could do it in 30 min with the tools I have, assuming the materials are at hand.

I post the date the next order will be ready, and stick to it. There is a note that rush service is available for an additional charge if needed before that date. My POS adds it in, but I discount it back off most of the time as a perk for the customer unless it actually involves overtime.

Items that I am framing from stock, I usually actually complete within 24 hrs. I can get 90% of my mouldings not in stock within 3 days. The other 10% I usually order straight cuts or chops via UPS or FedEx to save on shipping costs, and they too arrive within 3 days. I am unlikely to sell from this batch of more exotic mouldings very frequently. I drop suppliers who can't manage to get orders to me within 3 days.

I am in West Virginia and get weekly deliveries from 2 suppliers that are close, and a monthly delivery from another.

I usually complete between 700-800 jobs per year with about 10% of these being elaborate shadow boxes or bench made/modified frames. I am in a university town, and do a good many jerseys too.

I get full payment up front on about 70% of my orders these days. I have a few "frequent framers" that I allow COD for because they have been with me from the early days. Everybody else pays at least 50% before I will turn on my saw.

I am in awe of Jeff and a little envious, BUT I am never late for dinner anymore!
 
We schedule everything 7 business days out, excluding Sundays and Holidays. (the POS does it automatically) Supplies arrive in 1-3 days. The goal is to have them done a day or two early, and call the customer ahead of the due date. (the reaction to this is usually very positive)

Same day or next day jobs are no additional charge, as long as we have the materials in stock at the time of order.

Mike
 
Guy came in today 90 mins before closing with 2 oversized boards wanting wide black wooden non standard size frames before we closed, must be different frames on each. Ok!

Too expensive. Ok!

He's coming back when we open in the morning if he can't find them cheaper elsewhere before other stores closed tonight. Ok!

Whatever, I don't care.
 
We schedule everything 9 days out automatically, excluding Sundays and holidays. However we always ask when the customer would like to have it, and if they want it sooner, we schedule it sooner. We usually have 1-2 orders come in each day that are for the same day or the next day. The only real constraint is whether or not we have the right mats in stock, or if we have to wait until Tuesday/Thursday to get one in.

We are averaging about 8-9 orders a day currently. It's down some this year compared to last couple of years.
 
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