Case Study: Shift Cable Supply for a spare parts retailer in Southeast Asia
Shift Cable for A spare parts retailer in Southeast Asia
A spare parts retailer came to us with a shift cable programme for Southeast Asia. The brief was ordinary and unforgiving at the same time: a fixed launch window, a landed cost that had to survive freight and duty, and a part that had to match an existing sample. This case records what was specified, what went wrong in sampling and how the bulk order landed.
The starting point
- Packing that arrived crushed at the port
- A supplier who changed material without saying so
- Premature wear on the first batch

What was specified
| Part | Shift Cable |
|---|---|
| Client | A spare parts retailer |
| Market | Southeast Asia |
| Volume | 5,000 pieces across 4 specifications |
| Base material | Carbon Fibre Composite |
| Sampling rounds | 2 |
| Delivery window | 5 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | SGS |
How it was resolved
- The specification was rebuilt around Carbon Fibre Composite and the tolerance locked before bulk.
- A pre-production sample was approved and kept as the golden reference.
- Production ran with in-line inspection and a mid-run photo report.
- Cartons were packed to the client's own barcode and ratio specification.
- Documentation shipped with the goods instead of after them.

Result
- 5,000 pieces delivered inside the 5-week window.
- Unit cost held within 3.0% of the original quotation.
- Inspection-related rejection stayed under 0.5%.
- The specification is on file, so reorders reproduce the approved sample.
What we would repeat
Lock the material standard before sampling. Once the base changes, every downstream approval has to be redone and the calendar slips.
Planning something similar?
Send the specification you are working to and we will confirm what we can match, what we would change and why.



