March 18 update
about 3 years ago
– Tue, Mar 23, 2021 at 01:32:00 AM
Dear Backers,
This is a very special week for all of us at Mendi. Earlier this week we cleared all internal quality assurance tests, and yesterday, the first devices officially left the production facility in Småland and are now on their way to their new owners!
We're currently working through some issues with international shipping. We hope to resolve this as soon as possible, but rather than holding our inventory here in Sweden, we decided to start to ship devices to our Swedish backers. Please note that this means that we are temporarily unable to process fulfilments in the exact backer number sequence. As soon as these issues are resolved, we will of course catch up quickly. We expect that in about 2-3 weeks from now, we’ll be caught up in the correct sequence again as originally planned.
We really look forward to hearing from you once you’ve received your Mendi. As a heads up, the devices are shipped nationally using PostNord. They already spilled the beans because some of you have already received an email with the shipping tracking number. Others will receive it today. If you received your tracking number already, you can follow the progress online - and if PostNord does their job well, some of you might receive your Mendi(s) today!
Even though we’re obviously very excited about reaching this important milestone, I have to say that raising the bar on brain health is a marathon and we are far from done. During the past few months since I had the fortune to join this team, we have been working tirelessly to tackle unexpected challenges before they become real user-facing problems. For example, last month we faced a challenge with one of the suppliers running out of the material to produce one of the components. We were able to dodge that, but it’s an example of the kind of stuff that the team has been hard at work at that could have blown up in our face, but fortunately didn’t. Rather than spending time to update you about these potential problems, we thought our time is better spent on addressing them. In short, ramping up a full-scale hardware production is harder than it might look like on the surface and it sure is a humbling experience. It is even more humbling to know that you are all with us on this journey and that you are able to express your patience and understanding as we’re working hard to ship devices to each and everyone of you.
More updates to come as soon as I have more relevant information to share. Until then, stay tuned, and safe! And to some of you: welcome to Mendi! Have fun with it over the weekend and please reach out and let us know what you think!
Over and out… for now! :)
David
March 3 update
about 3 years ago
– Thu, Mar 04, 2021 at 09:10:44 PM
Dear Early Backers,
This is the week we have all been waiting for! The production line is officially starting today and we have just manufactured the very first sets of Mendi devices, including the finishing touches like the etching of our beautiful Mendi logo on the headset.
The batch produced this week will need to rest for about 72 hours to pass the final production line quality assurance tests before we can start to ship them out to you. The first devices are scheduled to be picked up next week, and then it’s a matter of days until some of you will receive your Mendi device at your doorstep.
Here are some photos from earlier today:
In other news, earlier this week we recruited Martynas Alijosius as our interim Production Manager. Martynas is a well-seasoned project manager in the manufacturing and construction industry with a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and, more importantly, over 14 years of real-world experience. We’re incredibly excited to bring him on board and we feel that Mendi is in good hands now that he will be overseeing the production line. Among other things, he will be ensuring that we continue to optimize the entire supply chain so we can get the first 10K Mendis produced and shipped as quickly and smoothly as possible so we can shift our focus towards learning from your experiences using it.
Martynas Alijosius, our new Production Manager
Please stay safe, tuned-in, and healthy. On behalf of the entire Mendi team, thank you for being one of our early backers! We can’t wait to hear about your Mendi experiences!
All the best,
David
February 21 update
about 3 years ago
– Mon, Feb 22, 2021 at 12:38:45 AM
Dear Early Backers,
Here comes yet another quick weekend confirmation (third in a row) that we are on track with the production timeline communicated on January 27th. The very first Mendi headsets will be produced on the week of March 5th and shipped to our priority backers shortly thereafter. We are excited to have you all turn from backers into actual Mendi users, and we certainly cannot wait to hear all about your brain health journeys.
This week we'd like to demo our app and show you what’s in the works on the software side of things - we thought a video would be more fun than lots of text (in fact, a couple of you wrote to me to tell me my updates were to long winded so I’m trying to adapt here!)
When will I receive my device?
Please read our update from January 27 for the most up-to-date production schedule. Again, we are on track and this means that we are about 2 weeks from shipping the first 100 devices from our factory, and then quickly ramping up production speed to deliver to the other ten thousand backers.
On behalf of the entire Mendi team, thank you again for your patience and continued support. Please comment your questions and suggestions below!
February 11 Update
over 3 years ago
– Fri, Feb 12, 2021 at 04:07:32 PM
Dear Early Backers,
This is just a short and sweet confirmation that we are on track with the communicated production timeline that I shared two weeks ago. Complete Mendi component kits have been produced and are now at the finalization stage (including details like the laser etching for the FCC and CE marks). They will then be shipped to the assembly line just a few blocks away in Anderstorp, Småland.
I will personally visit the production site again next week together with Rickard and Alex, where we will finalize details for things like pick and pack and shipping procedures. I’ll share more details with you after that visit, including of course photos.
When will I receive my device?
Please read our update from January 27 for the most up-to-date production schedule. Again, we are on track and this means that we are about 3 weeks from shipping the first 100 devices from our factory, and then quickly ramping up production speed to deliver to the other ten thousand backers.
Please stay safe, tuned-in, and happy. On behalf of the entire Mendi team, thank you for your patience and for being one of our early backers! We can’t wait to hear about your Mendi experiences once you receive it.
All the best,
David
February 5 Update
over 3 years ago
– Sat, Feb 06, 2021 at 12:07:56 AM
Dear Early Backers,
It’s been a week since my last update and I promised to provide you with weekly updates to ensure you always have the latest info from us. First things first: I have no updates to share about the production timeline - which is good news. :)
Aside from being hard at work with the production line, the Mendi Android/iOS app, and all the business infrastructure, a key focus this week has been to sort out details with the shipping partners. This includes lots of work behind the scenes, including securing warehouses in the EU and US through UFL. Our goal is to ensure shipments go smoothly as soon as Mendi devices leave the factory floor in Småland.
For our Swedish backers, we’re also exploring solutions to ship Mendis directly from the factory, but we need to iron out the details there before I can share anything definitely - stay tuned.
We need your help! While sorting out the logistics, we’ve noticed that a few of you have still not completed your shipping surveys, which means that the delivery addresses are missing from some of the pledges. We can’t ship devices to you unless you provide this information, so here is a reminder on how to do this!
We have just sent out an email reminder with a shipping survey to the profiles with missing addresses. Please check the inbox of the email you used for your Kickstarter pledge and make sure you fill out the shipping information.
Once your Mendi is on its way you will receive a tracking email. Please check the previous update for the latest estimated production timeline and then add the usual 1-3 weeks of shipping time and you will know when you can expect to receive your Mendi.
We’re all incredibly excited that we are so close to shipping devices to all of you. Thank you again for your patience. Expect another update from me next week!
All my best,
David
