Case Study: Fuel Tank Cap Supply for an online marketplace seller in Southern Africa

Fuel Tank Cap for An online marketplace seller in Southern Africa

An online marketplace seller came to us with a fuel tank cap programme for Southern 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

• Reorders that did not match the approved sample
• A supplier who changed material without saying so
• Packing that arrived crushed at the port

What was specified

How it was resolved

1. The specification was rebuilt around Carbon Fibre Composite 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

• 10,000 pieces delivered inside the 4-week window.
• Unit cost held within 3.0% 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

Fix the specification count early. Adding variants after production starts is the most expensive change a client can request.

Planning something similar?

Send the specification you are working to and we will confirm what we can match, what we would change and why.