Pricing fundamentals

[WelshFramer]

I'm planning on writing a frame pricing application to run on my iPod (and, if I can afford to buy one, an iPad).

At present I cost moulding by the length (rounded up to the 1/4 length) and mountboard by the sheet (rounded up to the 1/4 sheet). I'm wondering whether I should move to costing moulding by the meter (or foot) and mountboard by the square meter.

The advantage of my way is that it's quick and takes account of wastage: if I have a short length of moulding left over that I don't think I'll use then I just charge the whole length to the job; if I end up with a piece of mountboard that I don't think I'll use then I just charge the whole sheet to the job. The disadvantage of the method is that sometimes two identical jobs cost different amounts. Not so bad for the casual customer but sometimes account customers notice and query the discrepancy when checking statements.

If I charge by the measurement (metre & sq meter) then I should get more consistent pricing. However, what do I do about the wastage?

What do you do? Do you just add a percentage and hope that covers it?

[stanhol]

Hi Mike,

I have just put together a spread sheet still tinkering with it, but basically it works. I am looking at a programme that will just transfer it from my excel onto my Ipad, will let you know when i find it!

In my spread sheet moulding is worked out to cost per cm and mount, glass etc to cost per cm2. That is then times up to sizing needed, i then add 30 % wastage,then seperately, plus hourly rate plus sundries, plus tax. The first part of my spreadsheet is for a single mount and adds that to a total. Then under i have a list of extras, double mount, v groove etc etc. With this list wastage etc is worked out in the same way and i add time to each extra.

Hope this helps, that is if you can understand my explanation!

Good luck,
Sandra

[WelshFramer]

Hi Sandra

If it's an Excel spreadsheet then you can probably use Documents To Go Premium (£9.99) which will allow you to create and edit Word, Excel and Powerpoint documents on the iPad. It works well on the iPhone so should work even better on an iPad.

I'm using FileMaker so that I can include stock control and invoicing - whether or not I shall be able to squeeze the whole thing into an iPod I don't know but early tests are encouraging.

[stanhol]

Hi Mike,

Many Thanks for the info.

I am interested in the stock control. Is it easy to set up?

Sandra

[WelshFramer]

Well, it doesn't look that difficult but it does need a copy of Filemaker Pro which is about £250 to develop it but only FileMaker To Go (£25) to run it on the iPad. If I get anywhere with developing it I'll maybe ask you if you can test it on your iPad.

[technoframer]

I'm planning on writing a frame pricing application to run on my iPod (and, if I can afford to buy one, an iPad).

You could possibly make it a web application, write it in php. Then it would be possible to access it from any web browser on any machine.

[Gesso&Bole]

Mike

This is the perfect excuse to just get yourself an iPad. (You know you want one)The only way you can know that it will work well on an iPad is to test it on the real thing!!

I use an app called Numbers on the iPad, which is just like the Mac iWork spreadsheet. I find it just as easy to input straight into the iPad, and hardly use my Laptop these days

[stanhol]

Hi Mike,
definitely up for testing!

Good luck!

Sandra

[WelshFramer]

Mike

This is the perfect excuse to just get yourself an iPad. (You know you want one)

Absolutely! I need to prove to myself that I can develop a suitable database first but I've never used FileMaker before and it's frustrating working through noddy little tutorials when I really want to get stuck in and build the system. Once the system works then I'll have a good excuse to buy an iPad - by which time version 2 might be available. The existing iPad doesn't have a camera and it would be nice to be able to capture the customer's artwork straight into the job sheet.

[stcstc]

mike

i have done a decent amount of filemaker development

give me a shout if i can help

[WelshFramer]

Many thanks.

It mostly looks fairly straightforward - it's more a case of finding out where things are buried. Something simple like creating a relationship between two tables is obvious till you find it. At this stage it's a case of familiarising myself with FileMaker's interface. I have The Missing Manual and that seems pretty good - I just need the time and patience to work through it.

[Nigel Nobody]

This internet thingy is painfully slow today. Double posted because I thought it had died!

[Nigel Nobody]

I am interested in the stock control. Is it easy to set up?

Accurate stock control for mouldings and mats and glass is impossible unless you are going to spend half your waking hours measuring every piece of leftover material you ever cut anything from, then entering it into your software. You would also need to measure and enter every stick of moulding you buy, because of length differences.
Don't ask me how I know that.

Just in case you don't already know, the owner of the forum has excellent software for framers! It's called 'Estlite' and there are links to it on the forum.

[Roboframer]

I don't have to worry about moulding stock, all my mouldings have barcodes on the back, every half metre. There's a barcode reader on the Morso, connected to my POS system and it takes it off my stock every time I cut.

[Nigel Nobody]

Robo,
Where can I get one of those barcode readers. Oh....I'll need two, one for the double mitre saw and one for the chopper. Strike me lucky, it'll take ages to put those barcodes on all my moulding! Bugger!

[WelshFramer]

Just in case you don't already know, the owner of the forum has excellent software for framers! It's called 'Estlite' and there are links to it on the forum.

Unfortunately it doesn't run on a Mac - or an iPod.

If you don't keep a count of what mouldings are in stock how do you know what you have? A few moments checking in each moulding is nothing compared to the hour or so you can spend searching for the piece of moulding that you need for the job that has to be finished this aftyernoon - only to finally remember you used it last week.

And how do you keep track of stock value for tax purposes?

[Nigel Nobody]

Unfortunately it doesn't run on a Mac - or an iPod.

Get a proper computer! LOL

If you don't keep a count of what mouldings are in stock how do you know what you have? A few moments checking in each moulding is nothing compared to the hour or so you can spend searching for the piece of moulding that you need for the job that has to be finished this aftyernoon - only to finally remember you used it last week.

My memory keeps track of the majority of the mouldings I have in stock. Not quantities, but types. With the software that I use, there is a facility to keep track of moulding stock and I did use it for a while. After a couple of months of use, it was inaccurate for about one quarter of the mouldings due to different wastage factors, so they needed to be recounted and entered in the software again. I spent more time recounting and entering than it did just doing physical checks at ordering time.
Perhaps if you only have a small number of mouldings in stock, then software might be ans answer, but when you keep 100/150/200 or more mouldings in stock, from my experience, I believe it will be totally inaccurate most of the time and you would spend a lot of time updating.
On the rare occasion that someone wants a frame this arvo and I am able to get it done, I will check stock for something suitable.

And how do you keep track of stock value for tax purposes?

Count it. With a printed list of all mouldings I have sold in the year (from my software) I can go along the moulding racks and make a pretty good estimate of how many metres of each moulding in stock. Some I will guess a little high, some a little low. Maybe 90 minutes once a year