The Challenge: Staying ahead of the curve in the awards industry
If you see the serial number from A D Hawkins’ Epilog Eclipse, it reads 00014. As in the fourteenth Eclipse laser Epilog ever produced. The year was 1991 – the first year Epilog began showcasing equipment on the tradeshow circuit – and as A D and Adela Hawkins perused the Epilog booth, they knew this revolutionary technology was a necessity for their business.
“Small lasers were very new to the market in 1991, so selecting a manufacturer seemed like risky business,” A D tells us. “We primarily made our decisions based off the first impressions we got from the principals of the company – turns out we made the right decision with Epilog.” In 1991, A D and Adela were already in the awards business, selling manufactured laser plaques in their shop, Trophy Works, located in Modesto, California.
“It didn't take a lot of foresight to see where the industry was headed,” A D said. “We prided our shop on being the most professional and tech-savvy – Epilog’s equipment just fit our businesses. They helped take us from a trophy building business to a higher level of award services. They helped us maintain our competitive edge.”
“Also, their competitive pricing was an important part in the decision-making process,” Adela mentioned. As most every other industry, cutting-edge innovations often come with their share of challenges. “Initially, we had some difficulties with our first Eclipse,” A D said. “But Epilog and its tech support team were right there with us, troubleshooting, sending parts and warranty items at no charge – their priority was to make sure we got everything we needed to keep our business running.”
In fact, Epilog’s responsiveness and commitment prompted the Hawkins to purchase their second machine used from another awards dealer. Turns out that was a good business decision also. “It was a deal we couldn’t resist,” A D said. “The second machine doubled our production capabilities and was as reliable as the first.”
Many things have changed over the last 17 years – new technologies have been developed and competition in the laser engraving industry has increased – but both of A D and Adela’s Eclipses are still up and running.
“We’ve since purchased a Mini 24,” A D explains. “Its speed and quality puts us in another class of production, but we still use the Eclipses for routine jobs including woods and plastics on a regular basis. With regular, simple maintenance, we’ve kept both Eclipses in very good working condition.”
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A D tells us the rotating fixtures on the Mini 24 have allowed them to do more intricate glass work on a variety of types, but even with Eclipse, the duo managed to work well with regular glass.
“After all these years we still have some of our initial work samples from the Eclipse featured on our display boards. Whether I’m working with an Eclipse or the Mini, I still find myself staring into the machine while it is running and marveling at what we do.”
When asked what’s helped keep is business going all these years, A D tells us “Like other businesses out there, we do make mistakes. But what makes us unique is that we consistently produce quality work – every time and we guarantee it. We’re not afraid to try new and difficult jobs, even though we sometimes we end up pulling our hair out while doing them.”
A D and Adela Hawkins beside their Epilog Eclipse.
Sample created with Eclipse.
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