February is supposed to be a short month but we have packed it with action in the factory. We have a number of ongoing activity streams – new product development, documentation, co-operating with the website team and, of course, making products.
This is the busiest time of year for sales because many of our customers are NHS departments and schools who are approaching the end of their financial year and leave it until Feb/March to spend any money left in their budgets on equipment.
This time last year our sales were about 4 times the average monthly level, and this year is looking good too. My sales estimate for 2011/12 will have to be revised upwards, always a good position to be in!
For the new website we have been writing copy for the products section and shop. It also has an ever-changing appetite for photos so we have been photographing, and working with our photographer, Andy, to get pictures of the full range of products, including the new ones (see below).
The redesign of the instruction leaflets is ongoing, but other new product development is slowed down by the volume of manufacturing we are doing at the moment. More thanks to our wonderful volunteers who help keep us afloat in the factory, especially Mark who devoted an entire Wednesday to making switches last week, as well as turning up almost every Tuesday evening.
