Styling & Performance - June 2008 - (Page 20)

Then, of course, there are companies like MasterCraft who have to spend a fortune in R&D to get government approval and an NSN (national stock number). Pierce says the process was something out of a James Bond movie. “It took us six months just to get the proper security access,” he says. Once given the specs and scope of the job, Pierce says there was a lot of legwork and design. He ﬁrst started on the project in 2002 and got his ﬁrst order of 1,800 seats and restraints in 2004. Up until then, he had to invest $100,00 of his own money on testing. “I feel his pain,” Gearhart says. “Selling our lights to the military is essentially a simple process because they are not a military-spec item so we didn’t need an NSM. We make slight modiﬁcations to the lights that I can’t discuss.” Gearhart and win. Its reward: the Army purchased 15,000 mechanical lifts and about 1,000 more are shipped out each month. GOOD FOR BUSINESS Business-wise, military contracts can be a victory for the bottom line. “Each contract varies,” DeHaas says. “Orders come in waves and range from $5,000 to over $300,000. In 2005 we did about 3 percent BOYD JAYNES TRADE SECRETS MasterCraft’s Robbie Pierce offers these tips for getting a military contract: PATIENCE: Dealing with the military can be a long, drawn-out process with mountains of paperwork. Be patient and play by their rules. Pay attention to detail. And you’ll need to learn a new language: “government-ese.” PERSISTENCE: Keep trying. Go to military trade shows—they are like SEMA except they sell bazookas and rocket launchers. Use a consultant to get through the bureaucracy. PREPAREDNESS: When the military says they need something, you’d better have it ready. Sometimes they want it yesterday. PRODUCT: Offer a product they want and make sure it’s the best it can be. Do your homework and test and retest it. Then test it some more. doesn’t get off lightly, though: another division sells riﬂe scopes to the military and has to go through the same laborious process as MasterCraft. “We have to do immense testing that takes more than a year,” Gearhart says. Rhino Lift did all its homework and testing in advance, so when it squared off against four competitors in a grueling 12,000-mile Army test and evaluation course at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Mueller knew his product would shine … Whether it’s lights or suspension seats, if it can survive high speed, intense off-road terrain, it’s good enough to be used on a military vehicle. of our business with the military; in 2006 we did about 10 percent; in 2007 we did over 20, and we’re looking to increase that to over 25 percent this year. It has helped offset our other business segment and has allowed us to continue to grow our business.” 20 Styling & Performance I Uniting The Specialty Parts Industry

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Styling & Performance - June 2008

Styling & Performance - June 2008 Contents Soapbox Buzz Making Money with 1967-72 Chevrolet/GMC Trucks, Part II Red, White, Blue... & Green Limiting Installation Liability The House That Jack Built MAP vs. MVP Pricing Supply Line Distributor Directory

Styling & Performance - June 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.