Grayson
When a project includes many vendors, effective coordination is essential.
When we began working on the Grayson lighting package, in collaboration with Midwest Common, in 2021 it was, admittedly, uncharted territory for our studio. While we’d executed all of the formal elements of the project in the past, (UL listing, CNC work, metal fab, wood working, glass, stone, specialty finishing, etc) never had we worked on a project that included so many of these elements in tandem.
In total, the project included ten varieties of fixtures, with a grand total of fifty three to be fabricated. Each consisting of innumerable parts.
We’re lucky to be located in Detroit —a city with a wealth of manufacturing history and expertise. Over the years we have built trusted relationships with a network of vendors who can be called upon to manage portions of a project they are well suited for.
In the case of the Grayson lighting package, a specialized laser cutter and press brake shop made short work of many of the custom canopies required for the lights, a hardwood supplier that’s been in business for over 100 years helped us select matched boards and mill them to size before we took over templating the pieces and machining features, a specialized plating facility which specializes in parts for the furniture and automotive industry fixtured and finished over a thousand handmade parts before final assembly, a custom glass shop created molds and hand blew each lamp shade, the list goes on…
A project of this complexity requires a vigilant eye for detail, tireless communication, and a wariness of potential bottlenecks until it is crated, shipped, and installed. While many of our suppliers are highly specialized in their field, our specialization is the ability to wear many hats.
Sure, there’s a lot that we can do in our own manufacturing facilities, but understanding where our trusted vendors can be deployed efficiently makes a huge difference in our ability to complete jobs at a high level, on time, and on budget.
