Case Study: Steering Column Supply for a tour operator in the Middle East
Source:Case /
Time:2026-09-18
Steering Column for A tour operator in the Middle East
A tour operator came to us with a steering column programme for the Middle East. 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
- Documentation that arrived after the container shipped
- Reorders that did not match the approved sample
- Inconsistent hardness between lots
What was specified
| Part | Steering Column |
|---|---|
| Client | A tour operator |
| Market | the Middle East |
| Volume | 50,000 pieces across 6 specifications |
| Base material | PU Leather |
| Sampling rounds | 3 |
| Delivery window | 4 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | DOT |
How it was resolved
- The specification was rebuilt around PU Leather 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
- 50,000 pieces delivered inside the 4-week window.
- Unit cost held within 4.5% 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?
Send the specification you are working to and we will confirm what we can match, what we would change and why.
