I could be wrong though. Lets think about it.... lololol
10' x 3' of mild steal 3/16 plate
30 minutes of table time (laser or water jet)
30 minutes of metal finish ( pre assembly)
2 sets of bearings, caps, grease, sleeves.
2 spindles
12' or 3"x5" box tubing
2 latch mechanisms
2' x 2' or 1/2" mild steel plate for reinforcement brackets
20 minutes of table time (laser or water jet)
10 minutes of metal finish ( pre assembly )
2 hours of table / assembly/welding time
1 hour of metal finish
$60. to ship to local for powder coat
$200. for powder coating
$60 to ship back to shop
I suppose $4000. seems reasonable is we are functioning of off a 60% margin, that assumes employees are unionized with full benefits and a decent 401K. It is Oregon, and Medical has increased by something stupid there.
Actually, its probably more like Dynatrac, you sign a Government contract and all of a sudden you are doing so much business at a higher rate that it just does not make sense to be competitive, well, until someone else comes along and says they will sell a name brand axle set for, say, 25-30% less. Walla, now you have to sell an entry level package that is competitive if you don't want them to take all your business that you thought you had cornered.
I don't blame people for wanting to make money, I just don't like it when they are sanctimonious and espouse a tight profit margin when clearly, that is a bunch of fecal matter... Can you imagine the ADD (Here at ................ we charge the absolute most we can until customers complain and sales slump, then we offer a 10% discount and gladly tell you to hurry, we can't sustain this sale for long!!! ) or ( Here at ............ we haven't bothered to proof our concept, why would we, theres a limited window of profitability and we aim to compensate for that by charging so much that our products become a limited run, that way you think your getting a great deal ). lolol OK, I'll stop now.