Slate Will Build a $7.8M Vinyl Wrap Kit Manufacturing Fulfillment Facility In Kentucky

[fuzzyweis]

Louisville is where the UPS shipping hub is, so it's probably for shipping the kits out from there. The wraps are listed as being good for about 3 years, that may be their biggest recurring accessory.

Also mmmm...snack wrap...mmmm.

-Jim

 

[sglewiswl]

I would assume fleet, with Amazon being one of those customers. Plus Amazon is a seller of things, so customized parts or wraps provided by Amazon. With no American competitors for 3 or so years, they can sell tons of cheap fleet trucks/SUVs to be used for deliveries, small construction or handy men. What people underestimate about EVs is they make excellent work trucks because they sit most of the time.

 

[sodamo]

I guess this could diminish hope for molded in color panels in near future.

 

[sglewiswl]

I was initially convinced the Slate was vaporware, but with the tariffs and the US autos bailing EVs for the near term. Slate's only competitor will be a base Maverick at 30K. If they can sneak one in at 27k they have no competitor for 3-4 years.

 

[AZFox]

Could the Fulfillment Facility part of that be for other things as well, besides wrap?

Maybe third-party suppliers can warehouse unsold accessories there, similar to "Fulfilled By Amazon".

 

[AZFox]

If you noodle some numbers the Wrap Facility seems like a pretty lucrative idea.

Let's say 1/3 get a wrap, the wrap price is $500, and margin is 50% just so we have numbers.

1/3 of 150,000 times $250 is $12.5 million USD gross margin in one year, and that's just for starters.

 

[fuzzyweis]

I would assume fleet, with Amazon being one of those customers. Plus Amazon is a seller of things, so customized parts or wraps provided by Amazon. With no American competitors for 3 or so years, they can sell tons of cheap fleet trucks/SUVs to be used for deliveries, small construction or handy men. What people underestimate about EVs is they make excellent work trucks because they sit most of the time.

This is why when we got our house I wanted an EV small truck, I was looking to convert an 80s/90s Chevy or Ford then found my Ranger electric. My wife and I had our commuter cars and I didn't want a small gas truck sitting in the driveway most of the time, with gas and oil just sitting going bad.

The Slate will be my main commuter but yeah, electric vehicles can sit 90% of the year and when you want to use them it's like pulling our your electric lawnmower after sitting all winter, no issues, it just starts up and cuts the same as when you put it away in the fall.

-Jim

 

[sodamo]

One thing I find intriguing about the wrap is it being a precut kit. ShouldI opt for one, undecided at this point, i’d start with the simpler areas with the thought that should I mess up the larger, more complicated, I still have a unique, partially wrapped Slate. Sometimes I debate maybe trying together close to the Toyota blue of the 78 wife had when we met.

 

[Tom Sawyer]

Sometimes I debate maybe trying together close to the Toyota blue of the 78 wife had when we met.

Got any pictures of this Toyota truck in blue?

 

[sodamo]

Got any pictures of this Toyota truck in blue?

was wondering same. I know we have old pre iphone photos somewhere but to be honest, didn’t take as many in those days.

think it was this

 

[Tom Sawyer]

That camper cap looks like it belongs! I'll bet y'all put a lot of miles on that.

 

[cadblu]

Here is some additional information I found on the Kentucky facility. As someone here mentioned, it appears to have additional expansion room for other Slate accessories in addition to the manufacturing and kitting of the vinyl wrap operations:

The facility is planned for the existing industrial warehouse property at 5500 Shepherdsville Road in Jefferson County (Louisville), Kentucky. This is a 2019-built warehouse/distribution building with a total size of 149,750 square feet (approximately 150,000 SF). Slate is leasing a portion of it—specifically about 49,695 SF available (roughly 46,215 SF warehouse + 3,480 SF office space)—with features including 30’–35.5’ clear height, LED lighting, ESFR fire suppression, multiple dock doors, and a drive-in door.