If you are lucky enough to pull over into the drive-thru on a rainy day for a burger, you might have benefitted from a common innovation that was made this much popular by the 60% metal fabrication shop at the northwest of Atlanta, a canopy that keeps everything dry.
According to the design manager for Kennesaw, Mr. C. J. Mays, 70-80% of a store’s annual comes from drive-thru. And it is possible that you lose 50-60% revenue due to the weather. Coming from someone who makes canopies on a professional level, really says something.
Actually, a drive-thru usually looks a plain architectural element, which can benefit from flexible tooling. But when you look closely, canopies at most QSRs have a narrow sheet metal panel lookalike extrusion, component that simplifies stainless steel fabrication, aluminium fabrication, and mild steel fabrication greatly.
This strategy of utilizing extrusions where and when possible is the most important element of Uni-Structures’ business plan. Extrusion has been the building blocks to help this business grow.
But surprisingly they added a new 4-kW fiber laser in their mechanical rooster. But the question is, is this investment a step to the inevitable transformation, one of precise laser cutting, welding, metal bending, metal rolling, without the need for design tooling or relying on any extruded shape?
According to C J Mays, this is not what’s happening. Instead, he said that this laser cutting machine will help them diversify and put their skills in special projects, like the ones that use visual elements from the core drive-thru businesses, and yet for most cases, this won’t be repeated anywhere else, most probably.
Signs indicating to the Change
CEO of Uni-structure, Michael Barnes was in the sign business once. When he used to put up others’ sign, he realized how unprofessional these are and the hilarious quality.
Then one afternoon, once he launched his company, he saw that people were lining up in the drive-thrus for rain. They couldn’t go out or keep their windows open for long. So he asked himself whether the people deserve more or not.
He got the answer; yes, they deserve. And it won’t be a joke if I say that they bought their laser cutting machine for one reason only, diversification.
Although before that their plasma cutting system was getting the job done, after getting the laser cutting machine, they have been able to take different projects.
Uni-Structures didn’t buy this new fiber laser just to defeat limit imperatives. The buy was rather a part of the organization’s long-haul procedure.
He clarified that the organization has developed into what it is today without a formal deals exertion. Proprietors and directors assembled associations with developers, contractual workers, modelers, establishment proprietors, and those at the corporate level of a portion of the country’s biggest QSRs. Uni-Structures is on the corporate-affirmed rundown of numerous chains; when the need emerges for a drive-through, Uni-Structures gets a call. All this goes back to the decision of them deciding to buy that laser machine.
