Case Study: Shock Absorber Supply for a police fleet in the Caribbean
Source:Case /
Time:2026-09-18
Shock Absorber for A police fleet in the Caribbean
A police fleet came to us with a shock absorber programme for the Caribbean. 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
- A fitment that looked right on paper and failed on the bench
- A specification nobody had written down
What was specified
| Part | Shock Absorber |
|---|---|
| Client | A police fleet |
| Market | the Caribbean |
| Volume | 50,000 pieces across 2 specifications |
| Base material | High Density Foam |
| Sampling rounds | 4 |
| Delivery window | 10 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | SAE J431 |
How it was resolved
- The specification was rebuilt around High Density Foam 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 10-week window.
- Unit cost held within 3.0% 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.
