Lead Time for Glass Cabinet Doors From Cutting Edge
Your glass cabinet doors may take up to six weeks to arrive at your shop. Learn what can make the lead time extend out so far.
As you work to become a trusted installer, you must be able to achieve your installation dates most of the time. However, not all suppliers uphold their promised shipping dates, making it difficult for you to predict when your cabinet doors will arrive. You can’t risk having your glass cabinet doors arrive late and delay your project. That would make your customers unhappy, damage your reputation, and possibly cost you money.
At Cutting Edge, we’ve produced glass cabinet doors for over 20 years. We’ve spent those years working with our customers to ensure they can complete their projects on time. We understand that your reputation relies on our ability to complete your orders on schedule.
So, in this article, you’ll find everything you need to ensure your scheduled installation dates are achievable, including:
Most Glass Cabinet Doors Ship Within 7-10 Working Days
At Cutting Edge, most glass cabinet doors ship within 7-10 working days. This lead time is similar to most of our other products, which means your glass frames will arrive in the same shipment.
This lead time begins once you have confirmed and paid for your order. It does not account for statutory holidays or weekends.
And no, not all orders will ship within that lead time. That’s because three factors can extend the lead time, and two unexpected issues can delay your order.
Three Factors Can Extend the Lead Time For Glass Cabinet Doors
If your order of glass cabinet doors falls under one (or more than one) of these categories, your order will take longer.
1. Glass Cabinet Doors with Mullions
Your designs may include mullion frames or glass cabinet doors with mullion bars. These frames add elegance to your kitchen designs.
However, they also extend the lead time. Mullion frames require skilled craftsmen to assemble the pieces accurately. In addition, they take longer to build than less complex pieces.
Your glass cabinet doors will take between 12-15 working days to complete when you order mullion frames.
2. Glass Cabinet Doors with Mullion Inserts
When mullion frames aren’t unique enough for your customer, you might need to go further and order mullion inserts. Mullion inserts are more detailed, with curved and angled lines.
At Cutting Edge, our team produces mullion inserts using a CNC router. This complex machine requires custom computer programs for each new mullion insert style.
Once the program is ready, we machine the mullion insert and ensure it meets our quality requirements. Because mullion inserts are typically solid wood, they can crack, chip, or break as we machine them.
As a result, your order takes between 12-20 working days to complete when it includes mullion inserts.
3. Finishing
And finally, finishing. When you order finished glass cabinet doors, you want our team to either clear lacquer, stain, or paint your doors so that all you have to complete is the installation.
Finished glass cabinet doors take between 4-6 weeks to complete. This extended lead time is because our team must:
- Wait for the finishing materials to arrive,
- Produce a custom sample for approval if required,
- Finish your cabinet doors and
- Perform a second quality inspection
When you place your order, our team checks for all three factors as we schedule your order. This method ensures the estimated ship date you receive from our team is as accurate as possible.
However, the unexpected does still occur.
Two Problems May Delay Your Glass Cabinet Doors
While your order is in production, two unexpected problems may arise. Either one of these problems could delay your order.
1. Internal Remakes
Internal remakes are those defective cabinet doors that our team catches, rejects, and remakes before your order ships out. Most internal remakes are completed in time, allowing your order to ship out as scheduled.
Sometimes, though, problems arise at the last minute. In this case, we may need to delay your order by one working day with less notice.
This occurrence is rare. Most orders are almost completely ready 24 hours before your shipping date. At that time, our team begins locating any pieces that run behind and we notify you if there is an issue.
2. Lack of Qualified Craftsmen
And second, a lack of qualified craftsmen may delay your order. Not all of our team members are qualified to build glass cabinet doors, especially mullion or mullion insert frames. These two frame types are much more complex.
So, if a team member misses a production day because of sickness or some other unexpected reason, we may have to delay your order by one or two working days while we catch up.
Although both of these delays are rare, they do occur. So what happens if Cutting Edge has to delay your order?
How Cutting Edge Communicates Order Delays
You’ve already learned that Cutting Edge begins assembling your order at least 24 hours before your scheduled ship date. This prep work allows our team to notify you of any delays promptly, usually with at least 24 hours’ notice.
If your order has encountered a delay, our team will send you a notification by email, providing you with a new ship date. Generally, delays with only 24 hours’ notice are only for one or two working days.
If Cutting Edge has delayed your order by more than one or two working days, you may also receive an email providing you with the cause for the delay and discussing alternative methods to achieve your required ship date.
Two Ways To Get Your Glass Cabinet Doors Sooner
As a member of the industry, you know that your customers almost always push the limits. They want to complete their kitchen project, home, or whatever they need, as soon as possible.
This pressure means you might need your cabinet doors sooner. So what are your options?
At Cutting Edge, you can use one (or both) of these two methods to expedite your order.
1. Place Your Order Online
Your first option is to place your order online. This method may only save you one or two working days, but that might be all you need.
By placing your order online, you can avoid providing a signed confirmation. In addition, the system will prompt you to pay for your order at that time.
2. Request a Rush Order
If one or two working days aren’t enough, you can request a rush order. In this case, you provide our team with the date you need your cabinet doors. If our team can’t achieve this shipping date, we will communicate with you to develop an alternative option.
However, if the date you request is feasible, our team will prioritize your order through the production line.
Rush orders cost an additional 10% (or $25, whichever is greater) if we ship your order on time. If we don’t meet your ship date, we don’t charge you the additional fee.
Price Out Your Glass Cabinet Doors
As you work to build your reputation for high-quality, on-time results, you can’t risk your reputation by promising an unachievable ship date. However, to avoid this, you must know what your supplier’s lead time is. Otherwise, you risk delaying your projects and making your customers unhappy.
Now that Cutting Edge has empowered you to schedule your installation date accurately, it’s time for your next step. Learn how to submit a quote online to see how much your glass cabinet doors cost.
