Longevity breeds success
Northwest Custom Apparel is the oldest embroidery company in the Pacific Northwest. We opened our doors in 1977 when we purchased our first multi head embroidery machines from Japan. When we stated our manufacturing we had no idea of what the future had in store for us.
Our oldest employee just retired.
She had 33 years of service. We have several employees with over 25 year’s service currently working for us. This is what makes our product so good. We have employees who care.
Our customer service staff is the best. They all are familiar with the embroidery process. They know what they are selling. Each one has operated an embroidery machine. Because of this they can analyze incoming orders. They know how to work with a new customer by actually talking to them. We discourage use of the internet for new orders.
Order Process
The hardest part of our process is a new order. We know we must take our time to get it right. We work with each new customer to explain what and what cannot be accomplished. We have several methods of decoration other than embroidery for designs that are too complicated to do. Digital and Screen Printing are other options.
Once we have achieved art work approval we move to the next step and that is to provide our customer with a working sample of the finished product. When we provide a working sample we know we will get it right. Our goal is to do it right the first time.
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Once everything is approved we move forward with the manufacturing process. We pull the product from our inventory or we pull from our vendors who have gigantic warehouses filled with product. We generally receive our goods in one to three days.
We check in and inspect, then embroider. Volei, order is done we have another satisfied customer.
This was a simple explanation of our internal process to make a new client comfortable with us.
About the Author
Erik Mickelson is the Operations Manager at Northwest Custom Apparel in Milton, Washington, with 29 years of hands-on experience in embroidery digitizing, screen printing, and custom apparel production. He graduated from Washington State University in 1996 and founded the Apparel Graphic Academy. His father, Jim Mickelson, founded Northwest Custom Apparel in 1977.
