Case Study: Custom Snap Button for an Airline Catering Supplier in France
Source:Designer Brooch Pins /
Time:2026-09-18
Snap Button for an Airline Catering Supplier in France
An Airline Catering Supplier approached us with a snap button requirement for the France market. The brief was specific: a defined look, a hard launch date and a unit cost that had to survive freight and duty. This case study records what was specified, what went wrong in sampling and how the bulk order was delivered.
The challenge
- Elastic that lost recovery after three washes
- A spec that lived in an email instead of a tech pack
- A trim that passed sampling but failed in-line because it was never cycle tested
What we specified
| Item | Snap Button |
|---|---|
| Client type | An Airline Catering Supplier |
| Market | France |
| Order volume | 100,000 pieces across 6 specifications |
| Base material | Zinc Alloy |
| Standard size | 50 mm Width |
| Finish | Matte Black Coating |
| Sampling rounds | 3 |
| Delivery window | 10 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | AATCC Test Methods |
How it was resolved
- We rebuilt the specification around Zinc Alloy and locked the tolerance before bulk.
- The finish was moved to Glossy Enamel Coating after strike-off tests showed better durability.
- A pre-production sample was approved and retained 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.
Result
- 100,000 pieces delivered inside the 10-week window.
- Unit cost held within 2.0% of the original quotation.
- Inspection-related rejection stayed under 0.5%.
- The specification is now 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?
Send the reference sample or tech pack and we will come back with a costed specification, a sampling timetable and the compliance documents your market requires.
