Case studies

Machine spare parts · Urgent

Production line down, and a certificate to get before the part can ship

The problem. A South African machine supplier had a blow-moulding line standing still in East Africa after a servo motor failed. They needed a new motor, a drive already programmed so no engineer had to fly out, and the power and control cables, and they needed to know the cost fast.

The catch. The East African destination country will not clear servo equipment without a pre-shipment Certificate of Conformity (PVoC), and that needs lab test reports to three IEC standards. The factory's own supplier could not provide them. Wrong paperwork or a mismatched model number means goods held at the port while the line stays down. On top of that, the original drive series had been discontinued.

How the funnel ran

1. Factories from our archive of suppliers already checked on earlier jobs for this client.
2. Technical check: exact motor model and rating, drive compatibility (including a current replacement for the discontinued drive), cable connectors, programming support, test-report availability, lead time, export experience, stock.
3. Quotes compared in one format, quoted ex-works so the client could add his own freight.
4. 1 supplier appointed, and an independent test lab lined up to issue the reports and certificate for motor and drive in one batch.

What made the difference. When the factory said it could not supply the test reports, we did not stop: we found a lab that could, and asked for the test and the certificate to be done together. Packing, HS codes and crate size were settled up front, so the client could ask for courier costs while the paperwork was still moving. Model numbers had to match exactly on the test reports, the nameplate, the invoice and the packing list, and nothing ships until the certificate is issued.

What you can take from this. Compliance belongs in the quote, not at the border, and “the factory can't” is where sourcing starts, not where it ends.

Product development · Several stakeholders

A drinks range from first recipe to co-packer

The problem. A brand wanted its own private-label drinks, a soda and a premium juice, with several people having a say in the result. It needed recipes, a co-packer and a plan that kept everyone in step.

How the funnel ran

1. Brief first: one new-product brief per drink, signed off by all stakeholders before any sample was made.
2. Recipes tasted in round one.
3. Shortlisted recipes refined and tasted again over the next rounds.
4. Co-packers asked for details and capability, compared in one master sourcing sheet with ingredient costs.
5. One recipe and co-packer per drink taken forward.

What made the difference. Work was split into phases, each signed off before the next began, and a timeline showed every stakeholder who owed what by when.

What you can take from this. Product development is a funnel too: many ideas in, a short list out. A written timeline keeps several stakeholders moving together.

Planned forecasting and shipping

Never run out: re-ordering for a clothing importer

The problem. A South African fashion importer had several lines of clothing, caps and bags to bring in by air and needed a plan for when to sample, order and ship each one.

How the funnel ran

1. Programmes, each with its own start date, sampling date and delivery date, set out in one ordering schedule.
2. Styles forecast across the programmes.
3. Styles sampled and checked against the brief.
4. Styles ordered, with the delivery date planned back from when stock is needed.

What made the difference. One schedule showing what to order, when to sample and when each shipment must land, with certification and inspection costs and timing planned in. Delays on either side are written into the plan, not discovered later.

What you can take from this. Ordering is easier when it is planned months ahead. A schedule turns “when should I order?” into a date.