07:51 – We’re in inefficient mode here, driven by exigency. For example, yesterday we made up 10 sets of regulated chemical bags and 14 sets of unregulated chemical bags for CK01A chemistry kits. Ordinarily, we make those up in batches of 30 or 60 at a time. But we had in stock only 10 of one chemical needed in one bag and only 14 of another chemical needed in the other bag, so 10 and 14 it was. But at least I now have everything I need to build 10 more CK01A chemistry kits. Which, given that we currently have two more CK01A orders than we have kits, takes our finished-goods inventory to eight of those kits, once I actually get those kits boxed up. Same deal on FK01A forensic science kits, for which we have two outstanding orders and only two kits left in stock. And we’re down to zero of the the FK01B kits, with two orders outstanding, and two of the FK01C kits, with one order outstanding. I need to get more of all of those made up today as well if I have time. At least we’re still in decent shape on the BK01 biology kits and the CK01B chemistry kits. It looks like we’ll ship 18 or 20 kits today, and then turn around tomorrow and start again.
15:34 – Our shipping area–AKA the foyer table–is full, and I’m just about out of energy. I still have outstanding orders, but they’ll just have to ship tomorrow.
I just ran the final numbers for last month. We matched August 2013 results, almost exactly. The same number of kits, and within a few hundred bucks of the same revenue. Ordinarily I wouldn’t be pleased with no increase year-on-year, but August 2013 was an extraordinarily good month, with nearly twice the number of kits and revenue of the next-best month. This month is also shaping up nicely. Two days into the month–only 6.7% of the month gone–we’re already at 15% of total revenues for September 2013. That, incidentally, was also an extremely good month, so we’re on pace to do well for the year.