Case Study: Brake Hose Supply for a bus operator in East Africa

Brake Hose for A bus operator in East Africa

A bus operator came to us with a brake hose programme for East 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

• A supplier who changed material without saying so
• Inconsistent hardness between lots
• Reorders that did not match the approved sample

What was specified

How it was resolved

1. The specification was rebuilt around Polypropylene and the tolerance locked before bulk.
2. A pre-production sample was approved and kept as the golden reference.
3. Production ran with in-line inspection and a mid-run photo report.
4. Cartons were packed to the client's own barcode and ratio specification.
5. Documentation shipped with the goods instead of after them.

Result

• 2,000 pieces delivered inside the 6-week window.
• Unit cost held within 1.5% of the original quotation.
• Inspection-related rejection stayed under 1.5%.
• 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?

Ask for the current catalogue and the specification sheet for this line.