Another year, another late Soapbox … that resolution didn’t last very long.
At NAA, we start the New Year with great anticipation, as we have each of the past several years. We continue to look for ways to make our company and our products better. We’ve had some success (and some not) – new vendors, better procedures, new processes (we installed our first robotic arm last year) – but it always seems there’s so much yet to do. Maintaining/improving product quality remains our primary objective. We’re excited about the challenge.
Beyond our products, one improvement you’re likely to notice with our business is a general website overhaul that has been in process for several weeks. We think we can make the online shopping experience better, for example. The site’s been somewhat static for the past several years and it’s time to make it a little fresher and make it work better: easier navigation, more consistent layout, etc. I expect we’ll roll this out sometime this Spring.
We’re also anticipating that our industry and our products will remain a central part of new (but not fresh) public policy discussions and we anticipate “gun rights”/personal safety will be a loud part of the political rhetoric during this election year. We’re aware of the President’s misguided plan to increase “selling restrictions” and other buying obstacles to the extent that he thinks is possible/legal. All of which noise has been demonstrated, repeatedly and consistently, to drive our customers into the stores and onto ranges. To all those who ignorantly contribute to the noise, I offer my thanks.
I don’t have much to report about Ranger II. Initial production remains on the horizon. We remain hopeful that we can remain on schedule but “slippage happens”. I have suggested to some that I will outline an Early Bird program in next month’s Soapbox, and so I will, although the program may not begin until later this Spring. We’re committed to getting this right the first time – although as with every product in our line, we never stop trying to make/do things better.
We’ll be at the SHOT Show in a couple of weeks and invite any of you fortunate enough to attend to stop by the booth and introduce yourself. As the bulk of our Customer Service team will be traveling, I apologize in advance for any delay in CS response from he factory this may cause.
I’ve told my team that 2016 promises to be our best year ever. I wish that for you and your families as well.