Case Study: Turn Signal Lamp Supply for a national parts importer in East Africa
Source:Case /
Time:2026-09-18
Turn Signal Lamp for A national parts importer in East Africa
A national parts importer came to us with a turn signal lamp 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 specification nobody had written down
- A supplier who changed material without saying so
- Lead time that slipped twice before bulk started
What was specified
| Part | Turn Signal Lamp |
|---|---|
| Client | A national parts importer |
| Market | East Africa |
| Volume | 20,000 pieces across 3 specifications |
| Base material | EPDM Rubber |
| Sampling rounds | 2 |
| Delivery window | 6 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | SAE J431 |
How it was resolved
- The specification was rebuilt around EPDM Rubber 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
- 20,000 pieces delivered inside the 6-week window.
- Unit cost held within 2.0% 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
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.
