Case Study: Brake Pad Supply for a bus operator in West Africa
Source:Case /
Time:2026-09-18
Brake Pad for A bus operator in West Africa
A bus operator came to us with a brake pad programme for West Africa. 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
- Lead time that slipped twice before bulk started
- Documentation that arrived after the container shipped
- A specification nobody had written down
What was specified
| Part | Brake Pad |
|---|---|
| Client | A bus operator |
| Market | West Africa |
| Volume | 10,000 pieces across 2 specifications |
| Base material | Semi-Metallic Compound |
| Sampling rounds | 3 |
| Delivery window | 6 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | ECE R90 |
How it was resolved
- The specification was rebuilt around Semi-Metallic Compound 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
- 10,000 pieces delivered inside the 6-week window.
- Unit cost held within 1.5% of the original quotation.
- Inspection-related rejection stayed under 2.0%.
- The specification is on file, so reorders reproduce the approved sample.
What we would repeat
Approve a pre-production sample made from the actual bulk material. Substitute material behaves differently in service.
Planning something similar?
Send the part number, the annual volume and the target market, and we will come back with a specification and a sampling plan.
