Update on RevoHQ: Addressing Shipping Delays and Communication

By Chris

Founder, RevoHQ

Understanding Our Challenges

Dear all,

It has become important to address the current perception of the company, particularly around shipping delays and the lack of communication from RevoHQ. I would like to share the following update to explain the timeline and what has been happening behind the scenes.

At the end of 2023, we lost our engineer to another company. With him, we lost much of the setup for our products. As a small family business, this had a significant impact. I had to learn and rebuild much of what he had previously established.

A New Beginning

As the New Year began, it became clear that our base in Ulverston was becoming unsustainable. We had to plan a move back to RevoHQ during the year. Downsizing was necessary. By September, we had moved our operation, set up a new office and studio, created a packing area, and secured a storage facility with 24-hour access.

During this time, we shipped the Pilot Black Lites and received very positive reviews. However, finding a new anodiser proved difficult. Eventually, we worked with one that had limited colour options. This allowed us to produce the original Black Pilot Lites.

Expanding Our Offerings

Throughout 2024, with the move and the work involved in unravelling programs and drawings, we had to pause the VAULTMAZE series. Our focus shifted to establishing the Lite range. Finding a new anodiser with far more colour options allowed us to expand the Lite series to 24 designs. This was an increase from the original 8 plus the Pilot. Having 20 designs allowed for more mazes across different difficulty levels. Due to demand for more dynamic puzzles, we added a further 4 designs, which we classed as Grandmaster level.

As some customers had originally ordered from the initial 8 designs, many requested upgrades to the newer levels. Others wanted more dynamic elements within their puzzles. This was also true for the Limited Edition set. We decided to add Gold and Orange as dynamic options, bringing the total to 6.

The Struggles Behind the Scenes

This additional design and planning work required a full restructuring of programs and drawings. Other than support from Rachel, this work, along with learning the machine, was undertaken by me.

During the winter of 2024, I began experiencing fatigue, which I initially attributed to Covid-19. In May 2025, I was diagnosed with coronary disease after suffering a major heart attack. I have since undergone two operations, which have made a significant difference to my health and fitness.

One area that remained was the pressure to complete designs and production. The scale of work had grown from a few hundred parts to many thousands. The importance of getting everything right to a high standard remained my driving force. However, this period was made even more difficult when Rachel was rushed into hospital with a life-threatening condition affecting both her and her unborn son, my first grandson. In June, Rachel gave birth to Elliott, and thankfully, both are now doing well.

A Shift in Responsibilities

As a result, no handover was possible. Responsibility for keeping everyone updated fell entirely to me. I also needed to replace the engineer. At the beginning of 2025, we attended an employment show at our local college. There, we met Charlie, who showed a strong interest in the puzzles we make.

Charlie joined us in June and has since enrolled in a Level 4 Engineering Technician course, which we are sponsoring. Over the past 7 months, Charlie has become competent in operating the Emco 25 Turning Centre with a Sinumerik 828D control, using both G code and ShopTurn. He has also contributed to maze design.

As part of his course, Charlie set up a project to introduce version control within the company. This required all drawings and programs to meet defined standards, ensuring full control over versioning and change management.

Collaborating for Success

Working alongside external testers, we now have 24 high-quality puzzle designs, one of which contains over 75 individual parts. To manufacture reliably, we needed to run production in parallel. With only one turning centre, manufacturing had to be done in series, with frequent tool changes. We therefore decided to use an external subcontractor and began searching towards the end of 2024.

After several setbacks, we have now secured a suitable partner and have started receiving components, with more collected last week. This collaboration will provide an initial batch of around 2,000 parts. It allows us to focus on maze cores and internal components and begin shipping long-awaited orders.

Acknowledging Our Shortcomings

All of the above has taken far longer than we had hoped. My lack of communication while trying to manage training, design, testing, and production meant that many of our very patient customers were left without updates. For that, I am truly sorry.

Rachel is now offering some of her time to re-establish a clear communication pathway using the news blog on our website. This will be the main place where we share shipping progress and other useful information.

While the above explains the timeline, it does not excuse the lack of communication. I am a technical professional and am skilled at resolving engineering issues. However, keeping people informed consistently is something I need to improve. I will be working closely with Rachel to do so.

Looking Ahead

Charlie is now able to work independently and is fully committed to ensuring that only high-quality parts are made and assembled. This will allow me more time to keep everyone accurately up to date.

Next week, we expect to receive our first batch of 345 anodised sleeves. A further 655 sleeves are currently being machined. Once these are on site, we will assemble and begin shipping across all 24 puzzle designs.

I will continue to share updates via our news blog and respond to messages where possible. I will also do my best to update customers on the progress of their individual orders.

Again, I am very sorry for the delays. We are confident that, given the work that has gone into these puzzles, you will receive something that meets and exceeds expectations.

Alongside ongoing production, Charlie and I are now also shifting focus to completing the VAULTMAZE series. We will continue to keep you informed of its progress.

Best regards,

Chris

Chris Pitt

Director

Ashton Pitt Ltd

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For more updates, please visit our news blog.