ARCHIVE

07/09/2008 Less Salmon, Bigger Digs

04/10/2008 Defending Dune™

04/06/2008 New Machinery

03/15/2008 Canadian Patent

01/20/2008 Interlocking-Rock®

10/05/2007 Recycling/Water

modularArts today finalized months of negotiations for additional property in the old commercial fishing district of Ballard in the City of Seattle. The acquisition will begin the 1st phase of a planned expansion to 62 employees and over 40,000 square feet of commercial space in the Puget Sound region. When asked about the 2-3 miles of separation between the Ballard location and the Fisherman's Terminal location, Donald Kaump (Founder/CEO) cited that "I see the separation as a positive because it creates a natural barrier between certain departments. For example, it's difficult for Process Engineering or R&D to function without distraction when they reside in the same facility as Production. There is too much a tendency to get drawn in, where more autonomy is the goal." Bridging the two spaces is the historic Ballard Bridge that overlooks the commercial fishing marina. Both facilities had previously housed fishing related industries. There may be less wild salmon, but we can expect more gorgeous architectural products from modularArts! 

Fighting a recent wave of feeble and spiritless knock offs, modularArts does its best to prevent trademark confusion and a weakening of its reputation for quality. Un-flattered by the attempts to reproduce their fluid Dune™ design, Product Specialist Jillian Hett explains, "The problem is that sometimes people mistake the knock-offs for our product. Designers have complained to us because the contractors on their projects have substituted a bad knock-off." "Its a bit of a distraction" says Mr. Kaump, designer of the original Dune™, "In some cases the end-user pays substantially more for a clunky knock-off. It erodes the quality of our brand. In most cases, the law has worked for us and we've had good results enforcing our rights."

04/06/2008

Machinery Investment Reaps Improvements in Quality and Price

Modular Arts, Inc., working in conjunction with a premiere systems integration company, has successfully implemented a state-of-the-art system to increase product quality and productivity in the manufacturing of its Interlocking-Rock® brand. "We have successfully been able to reduce our labor costs while retaining all of our employee benefits," says Operations Manager Scott Benedict "...while at the same time passing on savings to the customer with a recent price reduction. We've essentially adopted the Japanese model embraced by Toyota, with continual improvement and reduction of waste. Although we've kept some of the handicraft that enhances detail, we've passed along the more rigorous back-breaking tasks to the robots - and they don't seem to mind!"

03/15/2008

modularArts Wins Utility Patent in Canada

Canada has granted a patent to modularArts for its original continuous 3d repeating-tile panels. "This opens the door for us to begin marketing in Canada." says Vice President Michelle O'Connor. "We've had a lot of enthusiasm from Montreal and Winnipeg, and we can now focus on the means to make our product more available."

01/20/2008

modularArts Wins the Coveted "®" for its Interlocking-Rock Brand

These days, when one may think that every possible product name has been claimed and deeded by the tireless brigade of marketing and branding strategists, coming up with a unique trademark can be a daunting task. Particularly when it needs to quickly convey the essence of a product. But after examining countless combinations, modularArts has succeeded - they've been awarded the "®" for the trademark Interlocking-Rock, which combines the self-aligning joints with the quality of their panel material (100% mineral).

10/05/2007

Water: The Earth's Most Precious Resource

modularArts announced today that its new system to curb water usage has been fully implemented and proven to be successful beyond expectations. With water being a fundamental component of cementitious manufacturing, and the basis of the natural catalyzation process, its no wonder its a water-hungry process. "Efforts to reclaim water have had dramatic results." Says Operations Manager, Scott Benedict, "...the only fresh water we now introduce into our process is the relatively small amount we use to rinse material lines and hoppers. And even this goes back into the system. All water used in the material is now recycled water. Our drying kilns reclaim the water they pull from the panels, and it goes right back into the making of new panels - Ad Infinitum."