Nodal Ninja closes shop in the US

Nodal Ninja Founder 285 Website	285 Bill private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 6
	Closed in the US but NOT gone! To our Friends, Customers, and Fan's, It is with great sadness that today I am announcing our plans to close the Nodal Ninja operations here in the US effective Oct 28th 2019. Nodal Ninja will now be headquartered in Hong Kong under the control of Nick Fan of Fanotec International. All future orders will funnel through our authorized dealers. I Reiterate Nodal Ninja is NOT going out of business! We are merely going through a transitional phase. We owe you! We are not like other companies when one day you wake up and find a company gone. Other panoramic hardware companies close the doors without so much as a goodbye to their customer base. We, on the other hand, feel a debt of gratitude is owed to our hard-earned and loyal customer base as well as the panoramic community. With that said I would like to expound on what brought us to this point. It is a little long-winded. Why? Sales in 360 panoramic hardware as been declining for some time. Many factors play into this to include: 360 one-shot solutions. While it will be some time, if even possible, before these solutions will reach the output quality of DSLR's consumers are accepting the compromise in quality. Chinese market. With the advent of more Chinese companies producing cheaper hardware keeping that competitive edge has become more challenging to maintain. Inflation. Considering that over the last 10 years the US has experienced a 19.5% inflation rate while at the same time we have been lowering retail product prices is another challenge we faced. New small business laws and taxes. Very complicated system but at the end of the year the numbers tell the tale. The result of which over the last couple of years has not favored us to the tune of about 7%. Result. We have reached the point in the US where we can no longer financially sustain our base of operations here in the US leaving us with 2 possible options. Option 1: Stop sales to all dealers and funnel orders through the US. Needless to say, this would be heartless and cold as many dealers rely heavily on the sales of our products, with many opting to only sell the Nodal Ninja brand. This would also be a great disappointment and inconvenience to international customers as well who currently bye from their local dealer. Option 2: Close operations in the US. This would force "all sales" to our international dealers which may actually result in a boost in their overall sales. Customers inside North America will purchase directly through B&H Photo. The Decision. Really a no brainer. In order to keep the Nodal Ninja brand moving forward in a positive direction, we have decided to make the sacrifice and close operations inside the US. Trust me this was not an easy decision to make, especially in light of the fact we have 2 super employees (Thuy and Jason) which are also affected. What's next? Many of our recent products have been produced with cross-market appeal in mind. The NN6 and M2 series both have a secondary market in that they can also be used as Gimbal Arms opening the door to Landscape and Wildlife photographers. No other product on the market doubles as a panorama head with upper and lower stops while having the ability to disengage stops and use as a free-wheeling gimbal arm. Our poles can be used for general photography such as over the cliff imagery (see Scott Highton's https://www.virtualyosemite.org/) or rooftop real estate images. And now we enter the field of robotics. Mecha is driving the company forward. Single-axis, dual-axis, slider rails with more surprises on the horizon. So please keep spreading the word about our great products. IVRPA: The IVRPA as been part of our history since 2007 and I personally feel a responsibility to the community to voice concerns and opinions surrounding its declining state of affairs and I understand if some may not agree. As a sponsor, we have invested in 9 and participated in 7 of the 14 or so IVRPA conferences. We have strongly supported the core values for which the organization once stood for but times have changed. Other members and sponsors have also shared concerns about how the IVRPA is handling things. I would encourage existing members and sponsors to evaluate your membership and participation against the stated benefits (https://ivrpa.org/members/join-ivrpa/). With so many growing allegations it's quite apparent 360-degree change is needed from the "top" down. Because we've lost passion and enthusiasm for the IVRPA we can no longer in good conscious recommend it to anyone considering joining, investing or sponsoring. What will I do? For me personally this is the culmination of a "15-year" journey. The conferences and events we have attended around the globe have rewarded us with memories that will last a lifetime. We have made hundreds of friends along the way. I may no longer be in the public face so much but I will stay on as a part-time advisor helping with this early transition and going beyond. For Kim and me, the timing is right for early retirement. The next panorama you see from me might be from some tropical destination with feet in the sand and a beer in hand :-) From the bottom of my heart, I thank everyone for everything - it's been a fun ride :-) Cheers, Bill
	5 years ago	Post 1 • IP flag post

Thanks for sharing - truly unfortunate but at the same time, this is indicative of how difficult it is to have the right product, the right audience and most difficultly the right timing. Add to that an even harder thing to do, being able to adapt, and what you have is either a business that can survive and grow or do otherwise.

I don't use my NN kit that much but I know plenty of people who swear by it and for good reason. It's a great product line.

I suppose the survival of the company will come down to the aforementioned challenges.

With that in mind, I think we're still dealing with a core challenge of simplicity, convenience and assumed usability. Although 360° photography and its greater counterparts in VR/AR/XR are still in their early developmental stages, the survival of the most adaptable organisations is what will make this industry part of our future. Hang in for another 5 years+ and we'll look back on discussions such as these as necessary stepping stones.

WGAN Standard Member 1.93K Website Bon Secour, Alabama Facebook Twitter Matterport Service Partner Google Street View Trusted Photographer Zillow Certified Photographer We Get Around Network Member	1.93K Chemistrydoc private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 6
	@Bill Thanks for all you have done and continue to do for the 3D community - best wishes for a great future. Keith
	5 years ago	Post 2 • IP flag post

97	97 Marc private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 3
	Thanks for sharing - truly unfortunate but at the same time, this is indicative of how difficult it is to have the right product, the right audience and most difficultly the right timing. Add to that an even harder thing to do, being able to adapt, and what you have is either a business that can survive and grow or do otherwise. I don't use my NN kit that much but I know plenty of people who swear by it and for good reason. It's a great product line. I suppose the survival of the company will come down to the aforementioned challenges. With that in mind, I think we're still dealing with a core challenge of simplicity, convenience and assumed usability. Although 360° photography and its greater counterparts in VR/AR/XR are still in their early developmental stages, the survival of the most adaptable organisations is what will make this industry part of our future. Hang in for another 5 years+ and we'll look back on discussions such as these as necessary stepping stones.
	5 years ago	Post 3 • IP flag post

WGAN Fan Club Member 4.35K Website Queensland, Australia Matterport Service Partner Google Street View Trusted Photographer We Get Around Network Member	4.35K Wingman private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 4
	I guess nothing will happen to their online shop. I was going to get Mecha e1 from them soon.
	5 years ago	Post 4 • IP flag post

WGAN Forum Founder & WGAN-TV Podcast Host 31.33K Website Atlanta, Georgia Linked In Facebook Twitter YouTube TikTok Instragram Matterport Service Partner Google Street View Trusted Photographer Zillow Certified Photographer We Get Around Network Member	31.33K DanSmigrod private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 3
	@Bill Fond memories buying my Sigma 8mm Fisheye lens, lens ring, R1, pole, etc. from Nodal Ninja - and receiving A+ Support. Best wishes on your next Chapter in life. Dan
	5 years ago	Post 6 • IP flag post

WGAN Fan Club Member 4.35K Website Queensland, Australia Matterport Service Partner Google Street View Trusted Photographer We Get Around Network Member	4.35K Wingman private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 3
	I got everything I needed from their online shop yesterday.
	5 years ago	Post 7 • IP flag post

WGAN Fan Club Member 4.35K Website Queensland, Australia Matterport Service Partner Google Street View Trusted Photographer We Get Around Network Member	4.35K Wingman private msg quote post Address this user	plus 1 plus 1 plus 1 0
	Hi Bill, Is there any instructions on the internet that tells how to put a R1 mount on Mecha e1? I got Mecha e1 delivered today. I did not buy R1 from you because some local guy was selling the whole rotator with the R1 mount and I bought it from him. The R1 setup should come within 1-2 days but before I get it I am trying to figure out how to put them together. There are a bunch of screws that have come with mecha but nothing in the manual about how to put it all together with R1 mount. I tried to google but I could not find anything.
	5 years ago	Post 8 • IP flag post

Nodal Ninja closes shop in the US10275