What happened when the first Office Walkers shipped?

Written the week the first Office Walkers shipped, 14 to 16 October 2026.

In short

• The first six Office Walkers have shipped: three on Thursday, three on Friday, plus one local pick up.
• The first feedback is in: it is quiet. Also, the tape on the first box did not hold well, so we changed how we tape straight away. This is exactly why we started small.
• Setting up our ERP and the logistics partners took longer than planned, but most of the chain is now digitally connected.
• Production: about 40 units are fully or half assembled and being tested one by one. We have found the main error patterns and are fixing the processes with the team.
• Black belts are about to arrive, beige belts are on their way, and a full truck of slats (12 pallets) is coming.
• Light and black side panels arrive at the end of October, so the other color combinations can start in November.

It is happening: the first shipments

On Wednesday 14 October we packed the first three Office Walkers, and on Thursday they were picked up. On Friday the next three went out.

And the first feedback came in fast. One backer shared his impressions in our Discord community:

He also gave me a piece of feedback that is arguably even more valuable: the tape on the box did not hold well. The package had almost opened by the time it arrived.

That is exactly the kind of thing I wanted to find out early. For the second three packages we used more tape and, more importantly, ran it across the box as well, not just lengthwise.

This is precisely why I deliberately started with a handful of units rather than a big batch: so we can fix the packaging, or whatever else comes up, with real-world results before shipping at scale.

Why this took longer than planned

Two things ate most of the time in the two weeks before shipping.

First, I am testing two logistics partners in parallel to see which works better for us. One was fast: quick replies, shipping labels created and sent over promptly. The other is a bit slower and still had not given me access to their system.

Second, and by far the most time-consuming: configuring our ERP system properly. It is becoming the backbone of the operation: tracking inventory so we know when to reorder, describing the manufacturing processes, and linking everything digitally from order to warehouse to shipment. Working out all the details was a lot more effort than expected. But it looks solid now, and it should scale well from here.

Production: working through the error patterns

We currently have about 40 Office Walkers, some fully and some half assembled, waiting for their final steps, and we are testing them one by one.

A few typical issues keep showing up, noise sources or increased resistance, and most of them trace back to the process: certain adjustments end up either too loose or too tight, which makes the bearings either noisy or prone to getting stuck. On one component we have also had gluing problems at one end; when the adhesive is not applied properly there, it causes a clicking sound. Then there are one or two rarer problems where we do not fully understand the cause yet.

So the plan is to shift my focus to the workshop and work through this directly with the two people in production: building units together, pinning down each error source, and documenting the processes so they are applied consistently. We are not at our target production capacity yet, and these processes are the reason. Once they are stable, we can ramp up.

Speaking of the team: we now have two people in production. Malik, a friend from way back, started in July, and a friend of his joined in October and is still being trained in. Once the processes are solid, we will look for one more person to work through all the preorders. You can meet them on our story page.

Parts update

Belts: The black belts are finished and were supposed to arrive on Thursday. Then the truck driver could not find our rooms, did not have my phone number, and drove off again. I actually saw the truck leaving, but by then it was too late. They should arrive in the next few days. The beige belts for the light frame are also finished and on their way.

Side panels: The first light and black side panels should be ready by the end of October.

Slats: The next delivery is on its way, 12 pallets, a full truck, heading toward Germany and arriving in about two weeks. Good timing, because the slats we have are almost used up. This delivery also includes all colors.

Which brings up a new problem: warehouse space. We already have three pallets of shipping boxes and cardboard, three pallets of side panels, plenty of other components, and now 12 more pallets with roughly 12,000 slats are coming. We will need to get creative.

Looking ahead: sea freight and all colors in November

With the slat manufacturer in China, we have worked out a plan to switch from truck to sea freight going forward. A full container is much cheaper per unit, but it also means longer production runs and longer transit times. So we have to time it carefully so we never run dry and block our own production. We might squeeze in one more truck delivery first. In parallel, the manufacturer is increasing production capacity, so the first container could ship in November.

The bigger picture: with the next slat delivery containing all colors and the light and black side panels arriving at the end of October, we can start producing the other color combinations in November.

Can I still get one?

Yes. You can preorder an Office Walker on our Kickstarter page. New orders are part of Wave 5, which we currently plan for May 2027.

We have two people in production right now. As soon as the whole system is in place, we will add more people and production capacity will go up a lot. That will shorten the wait, so we hope that date moves forward.

That is it for this round. The first Office Walkers are out there, more are going out every few days, and the main job now is getting the processes right so we can speed up. Thanks for your patience!

Johannes

Has Office Walker production started? · Pre-order on Kickstarter · Join the waitlist · The Office Walker