HISTORY
Although ADV.1 is a new name to the industry, the company owners and staff have been in the business for over 10 years, and our California based manufacturing plant has been in business for over 30 years. Our dedicated ADV.1 design engineer has been creating engineering files for the wheel industry for 10+ years, and has worked for some of the industries leading wheel companies. With that being said, Advance One is backed by decades of knowledge in every aspect of the wheel industry, from retail sales, to the creation of new forging dye’s. This knowledge becomes obvious when working with us, as every detail of the business from accounting to shipping is meticulously handled with attention to every detail, something only learned through years of real world experience. This industry and business experience has allowed us to create a “new” company with “established” company business practices and insight. Much of the skills acquired come from countless mistakes, and problems. This stage that almost all new businesses are forced to go through is complete for ADV.1, and completely a thing of the past. We’ve dealt with every problem in the book, from accounting nightmares to manufacturing failure, even issues such as premature and rapid growth which lead to manufacturing delays, cancelled orders and eventually failure.

These experiences are only had through real world experience, no book or mentor can teach these lessons and it’s important for a companies long term existence that this knowledge is obtained. We’ve taken these lessons and used them to the advantage of ADV.1 by having extensive knowledge of what not to do.

ADV.1 is a company based on industry knowledge and real world experience, we’re not a new company learning from our mistakes as we go along, we’ve learned and Advance One is the result.  A rare company that is set up properly, and designed for long term, slow and steady growth.  As many of you who are familiar with the industry, you may have guessed that many of the examples listed above are learned from our experience with 360 Forged.  360 was a company with the potential to lead the industry however was a victim of it’s own success and the lack of industry and business knowledge by the ex-owner Jordan Swerdloff. The company was never designed for mass sales volume nor did Jordan know how to handle such a thing, however within 4 months of business 360 was selling over 40 sets of wheels per month, when original intentions were to sell only 4-8.  With no systems in place or preparations designed to handle this sales volume the company began to suffer from lack of organization, poor customer service, manufacturing delays due to the rapid increase in volume, delayed and cancelled orders and poor product quality. These issues eventually led to cancelled orders, credit card chargebacks and terminated merchant accounts, large merchant reserves and eventual failure.

The company exploded into the wheel industry with new products, clean designs, and a marketing technique that was simple and effective. Had Mr. Swerdloff prepared for this growth and designed the company with the correct systems in place to handle this, 360 would more than likely be the leading forged wheel company in the industry today. This experience, although a bad one resulted in the most effective crash course in “what not to do in the wheel business”. Fortunately a group of investors were able to step in and take care of all debts and open orders and the entire wheel industry was able to learn from this experience. “I never intended for 360 to take off the way it did and I did everything in my power to keep up with the growth, unfortunately things were set up improperly from day 1 including an unqualified manufacturing plant who wasn’t prepared for that type of volume, an unorganized accounting system, and overall lack of knowledge and experience” states Mr. Swerdloff. There’s no question that he’s capable of designing and developing wheel designs and marketing techniques that change the industry. From the invention of the carbon fiber 3 piece overlaid center disc, to the branding and mainstream development of the concave forging profile which is now an industry standard. We’re proud to have him on the ADV.1 team and we continue to learn from him every day.

With these lessons learned ADV.1 is designed with long term success, and a slow, steady growth in mind. Some key factors that illustrate this knowledge and experience:

A qualified and experienced manufacturing facility with proper organization and product knowledge that can only be acquired through years of experience. Capable of keeping up with any volume produced by ADV.1 and the financial backing to handle the development and R&D necessary for ADV.1 to create wheels and new designs that change the industry.

ADV.1 utilizes a specifically designed production program which provides up to the minute status on every order as it moves through the system. The system is updated constantly as orders pass through different stages such as Engineering Cue, Machining, Finishing, etc. Orders are provided on time and correct on over 98% of all orders, and customers are notified of every status change on their order.

ADV.1 employs an in house accounting specialist / financial analyst to handle all bookkeeping and ensure that money is never improperly spent, and to organize the accounting end of the business down to the last penny. This aspect of the business is often overlooked, and in many cases unorganized.

Extensive knowledge of the industry from every aspect including retail sales, product development, manufacturing & engineering, finishing, and everything in between. This allows our team to understand our vendors and customers, and gives us the know how to keep our customers happy, and our vendors organized.

The use of high quality parts and assembly procedures. Through years of trial and error, and lessons learned we’ve come to realize that cutting corners and costs can cost more in the long run. Inferior, inexpensive parts and materials can and will lead to problems. All parts, finishes, sealants and procedures used by ADV.1 are chosen with no regard to cost, or profit margins. Another trait only learned through experience.

A strong, well organized dealer network. ADV.1 sells only to our network of authorized dealers who are hand chosen, educated and experienced. We support our dealers 100% and this allows us to run a more organized business, only dealing with a select group of dealers gives us the ability to ensure excellent customer service and focus on this select group on a 1 on 1 basis, as opposed to dealing with thousands of retail

customers which leads to the need for additional staffing, increased overhead, and a possible decline in customer service.

To summarize, ADV.1 is derived from a long history and experience only obtained through real world trial and error. We’ve taken the mistakes and problems experienced in the past and used them as lessons in what not to do. Every single detail is well planned, thought out and designed for long term success.