Take the Shortcut, or the Long Way Around?

Do you ever use those thermal mugs, the ones that boast about how long they keep your coffee hot while you’re on-the-go? I’ve tried them, but in my opinion they do TOO much of a good job, because they always keep the coffee so hot I can’t even drink it. So when a friend posted on Facebook about a Kickstarter project he’d funded, I was intrigued. (For those who aren’t familiar, Kickstarter is a “crowdfunding” website where creative folks can publish projects and collect money so they can bring them to fruition.) This project involved the creation of the “perfect” thermal mug: one that removes the heat when it’s too hot and puts heat back in when it’s cooled. Well that’s fascinating technology, and definitely mug nirvana for me! I have a soft spot in my heart for anything geeky and high-tech, so this one had me hooked. I quickly made my first investment in a startup by plunking down $40 for my very own perfect thermal mug. I couldn’t wait to get it!

And 2+ Years Later…

My investment was made in November of 2013…more than 2 years ago. I still don’t have my mug. Nor do any of the funders. Not because this Kickstarter project wasn’t successful, it was actually a smash success, raising more than $250,000 from nearly 5,000 backers just like me who wanted this product in their hands. No, the ongoing delay has been caused by a series of manufacturing snafus that are part-comic and part-tragic, but can all be summed up in the Japanese saying you see written above. These characters form the saying “Isogaba Maware,” which means “sometimes a shortcut becomes the long way around.”

A Smart Shortcut?

I’ve followed the monthly updates sent by the mug’s inventor. At one point he reported plans to make the mugs “partly here in the U.S. in North Carolina, and partly in a factory in China.” The China decision was made because they’ve apparently mastered the operations needed for vacuum insulated stainless products. A smart shortcut, right? But this failed to take into consideration things like the language barrier, differing time zones (for a simple phone call, one of the parties would have to be up in the middle of the night), all kinds of hidden shipping and logistics costs, and one BIG flaw – the inventor leading the project had absolutely no manufacturing experience whatsoever.

More Detours

The project was slowed down by one problem after another. One of the consistent stumbling blocks has been erroneous product design changes. Often, the China contractor made a design change (unbeknownst to any other parties) because they didn’t have the right tooling or the right machines. However this design change would negatively affect the performance of the mugs, so they’d have to backtrack. Another shortcut happened when the inventor initially did not supervise the project in-person, in China. One day, right before the inaugural mug shipment was to leave the docks, an inspector was sent to check on the first batch. They had received assurances that “thousands, at least” of the mugs were ready to go. But when the inspector arrived there were only 50 mug bodies finished, and those had been hastily finished upon his arrival only because he insisted. These detours, and many more, have made for a very long way around.

A Shortcut Becomes the Long Way Around

Recently, one of the funders commented: “I’ve been patient but now this is just getting ridiculous. This is a perfect example of the saying, ‘good, fast, or cheap – pick two’. Maybe it’s time to stop using China.” Myself, I don’t think this is a China problem as much as it’s a simple case of jumping to conclusions about what’s faster and easier. It’s tempting to take the shortcut. But if the path of haste involves an ill-suited manufacturing partner, or a compromise in quality processes, things can fall apart very quickly. That’s when a shortcut becomes the long way around.

What are your thoughts? Do any examples of misguided “shortcuts” come to mind? Please share in the comments below.

Mindy Mikami is Marketing Coordinator, Okuma America Corporation.