06/07/2018
This is a letter from Spectrum Glass
January 15, 2018
Hi Art Glass Industry,
Happy New Year! Can you believe we are already in the 3rd week of January?! That being said, we´ve got a lot of great news to share with you!
First and foremost, we´re looking forward to seeing all your beautiful, enthusiastic faces at the Glass and Bead Expo in Las Vegas this Spring. We are once again honored to be donating glass to all the instructors and showing off all the glass products we were able to get manufactured within 1 year of the Uroboros and Spectrum closures. Feel free to stop by our booth and say hi!
We´re gearing up to get some more colors online in February (only 2 weeks away!). We´ll be moving into the greens and reds on our continuous ribbon which means more "Cut like butter " glass for you and yours. Frits have also gotten on line and we have begun taking orders from the distribution channels to start restocking a shelf near you.
Last but not least, we´ve provided new prices out to the distributors. As you know last year we turned the Uroboros pricing back to 2015 pricing, and all Uroboros sheets remain at the same 2017 pricing that we went to market with last year. No changes will be occurring to those products this year.
Last year we threw ourselves fully and wholly into the game. After some mild bumps and bruises we have learned quite a bit that has helped us better understand the market and production. As a result, Spectrum products have seen a modest increase this year, here are some of the factors that have guided the increase:
• The most obvious - the factory and the costs associated with it. Forty year old equipment got much needed TLC, dedicated Spectrum and Uroboros personnel were hired for the transition, additional team members have been hired to close the gap on demand, and finally, we added an additional 50,000 sq ft to our factory.
• The cost of raw goods is not quite where it used to be, so adjustments are being made to help us keep the quality of our formulas and products consistent.
• Shipping costs fluctuate on an annual basis and these expenses had not been considered in historical costs provided to us regarding the receipt of raw goods.
• Last but not least, the pricing we inherited from Spectrum was behind its market value. With little price increase over the last 5-10 years, we believe there is ample room to bring the price up to fair market value.
You´ll find the products with the highest price increase occur with stained glass, seedy and clear. System 96 across the board got a little tap, but it is nominal. We recommend connecting with your local distributor to understand what your new pricing will be in 2018.
These price change comes as no easy decision, but it is necessary to live up to our commitment to ensure a healthy future for the beloved Spectrum & Uroboros art glass product lines.
We cannot thank you enough for all your patience and support this last year. Without you, none of this would have been possible. We are so excited to see the train pull out of the station in 2018 and watch a new era of art glass take off with the best of the art glass industry by our side.
