Hi there BeYou friends, the March update is here for you! In this one we have very exciting progress and a great video to share with you. You might notice it took us a few extra days this month to post the update. That’s because we’ve been waiting for the video, so we can share it with you!
Since the end of the lockdown in the area where our factory is located in China, we’ve been working together with our factory to finalize everything. We are thrilled to say that the full complex mechanism in the BeYou chair is on the verge of being fully finalized! This is amazing news and we’re so happy to have reached this point. With so many moving pieces, lockdowns and restrictions, it’s been quite the journey. Thank you for your support once again!
This exciting news is also the reason why this update will be a shorter one. Out of the dozens of parts of this complex chair, there is only one single mechanism to be finalized! This is the one that makes the backrest move up and down.
Final Mechanism Decision: Backrest
As mentioned above, there is only one single mechanism that needs to be finalized. This is the way the backrest can be adjusted up and down.
The first option we have is the original “pin version”. This is the system we used for the initial prototype and it means there’s a pin on the backrest that you need to pull to unlock, then move the backrest up/down as you wish. Release the pin to lock the position.
The second option is what we call the “ratchet version”. This is the one we mentioned in the past few updates. It would allow you to adjust the backrest up and down by just pulling it. Once it gets to the tallest position, it unlocks and goes to the lowest setting again.
The ratchet system is ingenious, but has more moving pieces. The pin version is simpler, and it’s a more robust solution. A decision will be made about these in the next 1-2 weeks. The factory is currently building two separate backrests, each with one of the versions. The chair along with the two backrest versions will be sent from the factory to our design & engineer team, so we can make this final decision.
Mass Production Start
In the meantime, we have made the decision to go ahead with the molds needed for the mass production of the base, before we receive the chair from the factory. Even though it’s a big investment, this decision was made for two reasons:
We have been notified that the chair will only be accepted for testing with the final base made with the mold. This is also the most time-efficient version, as part of this process overlaps with the tests of the two backrest systems.This base mold production process is actually part of the manufacturing process itself. We just took this process and moved it up in the timeline due to the reasons above. The mold production takes about 1 month to complete. As mentioned above, this overlaps with the 1-2 weeks spent testing and finalizing the decision for the backrest mechanism.
You will notice that this stage has also been added to our timeline estimates below.
Once the mold is ready, we move straight into testing and mass-production.
New Video
We have included a new video sent to us by the factory in China, where you can see one of their engineers go through every chair adjustment and mechanism. This is a sight for sore eyes for our team and you’ll also be able to see how flawlessly everything works.
IMPORTANT: The wings are made for support, and not to be used as a seat. The backrest is meant to be sat on while resting your legs or knees on the main seat (and not how it’s being portrayed in this video). The actions portrayed in this video are just meant to emphasize the sturdiness of the chair from the factory to our team.
BeYou Rough Timeline Estimates*
* As always, these are still estimates, and every stage of the process is subject to a QC audit. If any other challenges or delays come up along the way, we will inform you so that you are always aware of the progress we are making behind the scenes.
** Golden Samples are exactly the same as the final product, in every single way. The Golden Samples set the standard for mass production and are used by the factory and Quality Control (QC) agency to compare with products taken randomly from the production line to make sure they’re 100% identical to the standard we (and you) expect from the BeYou chair.
Getting in Touch
As you know, the correspondence volume tends to increase after each update, so please bear with us, it might take us a bit to respond over the next few days. Please refrain from following up, as that will push your message to the end of the queue.
Submitting a question through the Contact Form on our website is currently the fastest way to get a response from us if you have any questions. It’s a great help to our small yet mighty Customer Happiness team for you to submit your message from there. 🙏
Message us through the Contact Form if you need help
Despite the challenges we’ve been through together with this project, we are deeply grateful for your trust and encouragement. We are in a very exciting stage right now and we’re even more thrilled when thinking of the future. You have helped us reinvent one of the most used objects in offices and homes around the world and together we will change how people sit everyday!
Our entire team strives to make you proud to have supported us so early on and we couldn’t be more grateful to have you along on this journey. Have an awesome day ahead!
The BeYou Team