Case Study: Control Arm Supply for a spare parts retailer in the Caribbean
Source:Case /
Time:2026-09-18
Control Arm for A spare parts retailer in the Caribbean
A spare parts retailer came to us with a control arm 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
- Documentation that arrived after the container shipped
- A specification nobody had written down
- Inconsistent hardness between lots
What was specified
| Part | Control Arm |
|---|---|
| Client | A spare parts retailer |
| Market | the Caribbean |
| Volume | 20,000 pieces across 6 specifications |
| Base material | Ceramic Composite |
| Sampling rounds | 3 |
| Delivery window | 8 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | DOT |
How it was resolved
- The specification was rebuilt around Ceramic Composite 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 8-week window.
- Unit cost held within 1.5% 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
Lock the material standard before sampling. Once the base changes, every downstream approval has to be redone and the calendar slips.
Planning something similar?
Tell us the model, the fitment and the quantity and we will hold a production slot for you.
