Case Study: Steering Column Supply for a motorcycle assembler in Oceania
Source:Case /
Time:2026-09-18
Steering Column for A motorcycle assembler in Oceania
A motorcycle assembler came to us with a steering column programme for Oceania. 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
- Inconsistent hardness between lots
- Packing that arrived crushed at the port
What was specified
| Part | Steering Column |
|---|---|
| Client | A motorcycle assembler |
| Market | Oceania |
| Volume | 10,000 pieces across 4 specifications |
| Base material | Sintered Metal |
| Sampling rounds | 4 |
| Delivery window | 10 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | TUV |
How it was resolved
- The specification was rebuilt around Sintered Metal 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 10-week window.
- Unit cost held within 1.5% 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?
Share a sample or a drawing and we will quote against a written specification, not against a photograph.
