Update time… finally. We started out with this project with the aim of providing very regular updates to keep all our backers in the loop and to help you feel part of the project from start to finish.

We believe we’ve done a great job at this over the months since the Kickstarter ended, with almost every update going out accompanied by a video and being as transparent as we can be throughout. However, we’ve dropped the ball over the last few weeks, mostly due to being having so many rings to QA, pick, pack and send out to you all. We sincerely apologise for the extended delay with getting this update out. We are a very small team and are doing the best we can to delivery  a quality product.

On to the HUGE update, brace yourselves…

Contents:     

• 1. Current production status
• 2. Key stats
• 3. Shipping/Production FAQs
• 4. What’s in the package?
• 5. New Forum
• 6. NFC Unlock App verification codes
• 7. Feedback
• 8. Event calendar

1. Current production status

At the end of February one of our team visited China to make sure that production was going ahead as planned, During this trip we discovered that the Carbon Fiber replacement that we had sourced was not of a quality befitting our brand. We had been assured by our factory that they had tested the material and it was ready to go into production. It wasn’t until we arrived at the factory that we learned this was not the case. Due to this, we made the decision to offer a replacement ring to all affected backers whilst we work on the Carbon Fiber R&D.

We came to an agreement with our factory in China, on the basis that they believed they could manufacture 640 rings a day, working a 6 day week after accounting for the expected ~20% factory QA fail rate. Production on the new, revised order of 18,000 rings (including Carbon Fibre replacements) began on March 1st, with the first 640 rings due to be completed on the 8th. (after glue setting and polishing etc) This order consisted of all the Kickstarter rings, extra stock for returns/replacements and also our Pre-order stock.

The factory are currently producing roughly 500 rings a day, before going through the Quality Assurance process. Significantly lower numbers than we had agreed.

With an expected 20% failure rate this would have meant that through March 8th – April 29th, we should have had a total of around 18,000 rings delivered to us.

The factory stopped production for around a week when they were apparently waiting on the latest batch of Inlays to arrive, meaning they were unable to produce rings during this time. This would have brought the expected number in our shipments to around 15,600 rings. In actuality, we received a total of 11, 321 during this period.

The major reason for lower than expected production numbers is the amount of QA fails in the factory. This is primarily attributed to production problems with the Stealth Bombers. We had been given numerous assurances that they were able produce PVD plated rings but unfortunately, this has proven not to be the case. Stealth bomber rings are currently suffering an 80% failure rate in the factory, due to their inability to polish the rings to the standard we were promised. The sheer number of QA failures coming though on the Stealth Bombers means we are even considering whether we can continue to produce them at all to sell on the store in future.

2. Key numbers:

Of the 11,321 rings that have been delivered to us so far; – 1000 have recently been sent to our US distribution centre (not total US numbers, just the most recent batch) – 2300 have just arrived with us in the UK and will be going through secondary QA and then picking/packing/shipping asap

Of the 8,021 tested rings, we failed a total of 2357 rings after our second round of QA testing. This has brought the number of viable, backer-ready rings down to 5,664.

3118 have been shipped out to backers so far.

2421 remain at our UK distribution centre, being packed as we write this

49 Collections have been shipped and 497 are semi packed up waiting on various rings to arrive

3. Shipping/Production FAQs

From Production to fulfillment how long does it take? There is a lead time of 4 weeks for our inlays to be manufactured which then get sent to China. When the inlays are first put in the ring blank it takes approx seven days for the ring to be completed and ready to ship.  The rings then go from China -> HK -> UK/US which takes on average 3 -4 days for our UK distribution centre and  our US centre  (barring any customs hold ups.)

When the rings arrive with us, we have all the necessary shipping material ready to pick and pack them. However each ring needs to be individually QA tested and logged. This process takes 2-3 days, depending on the number of rings shipped to us.

They are then posted using Royal Mail (from the UK), and USPS (from the US) Depending where you are in the world, this could take anywhere from 1-10 working days. There have been some cases of this taking 3-4 weeks for more extreme locations where the local postal service have caused significant delays.

Can you tell me what date I will receive my ring? 

We can give you a rough estimate of when we expect to have your order fulfilled. If part of your order fails our QA process then you can see that it isn’t something that can be resolved overnight.

Why did you offer so many designs if it would make the manufacturing process so complex? 

Our factory assured us that having various sizes/colors wouldn’t be a problem, we were confident in their ability to deliver on their promise as they came recommended to us.

It’s now 7 months overdue why the delay?

When we launched on Kickstarter we never expected to exceed our initial funding goal by 800%.

This has been a product continuously in development and to have to do this on a larger more complex order has been much more difficult than we initially anticipated. Many factors have come in to play over the initial planning and production period and we have been hit with plenty of hurdles to leap over and hoops to jump through, to ensure we delivered a great product. We are currently plagued with factory delays, high failure rates and plenty of broken promises from our manufacturers. We are developing a completely new product in the market. We expected a few stumbling blocks. Perhaps not quite so many, nor of the scale we have hit so far along our journey.

4. What’s in the package? (non-collection pledges)

There has been some confusion over what is included in the packages we send out to people. Specifically, a few people have been getting confused after seeing the separate inlays we included.  We haven’t forgotten to put them in! These inlays were from our original batch, which were tuned to the original stainless steel ring (before we switched to Titanium). These have been included as a freebie to all our backers, as a little extra thank you for your continued patience with the project.

As part of your shipment, you will receive; Your NFC Ring/s 2 separate inlays 4 sweet spot stickers A small instructional/welcome leaflet

The NFC Ring is already assembled with inlays inside.   Don’t worry, the ring is ready to work out of the box.

5. The New Forum

We recently switched over to our new forum, complete with single sign on. Lots of great conversations are waiting for you to get involved in.

There are some members there doing some really amazing things with NFC technology. Starting a car with the NFC Ring or building their own NFC door locks, for example. These are the types of projects we always hoped to see people developing when we set out with the project! Great work guys.

The forum is also a great place to go when you get your ring if you are struggling to get it working first time. In all likelihood, if you pop over to the forum they will be able to help faster than emailing support.  We are always happy to help but there are some fantastic forum members who are giving people some great advice and support. Big shout out to Lokkie, Lafunamor and everyone for helping out so much. We really appreciate it.

6. NFC Ring Unlock App Verification code

If you are wanting to use the unlock app and you don’t have the verification code then there are a couple of ways to get hold of one. We sent an email out to all backers with your unique unlock validation codes many months ago. Check your email for this. If you have lost this, or it doesn’t work for some reason, then read on…    You can either:    Visit http://me.nfcring.com/validationCodeReset

Type in your email address you used on Kickstarter, it needs to match exactly (to match our records) and is also case sensitive.  You will be sent an email with instructions on how to reset your code.

Or

In the latest version of the NFC ring control app there is now the ability to register your ring directly through the app (using your ring).

Install the NFC Ring Control App Tap on ‘Register’ in the main menu and follow the on screen instructions. You will need to have your genuine NFC Ring in hand to use this method.

7. Feedback 

Had some great feedback from people who have got their rings. A great video from Chris on facebook who is using his ring with his digital door lock. We are currently going through the hard grind at the moment it’s really exciting seeing people using and enjoying the ring. Keep on sharing and keeping us updated with how your using the ring.

8. Event calendar

We will be at Devoxx UK  on the 12th & 13th of June, it is being held at the Business Design Center , 52 Upper Street, London, N10QH. It would be great to see you there.