Case Study: Custom Boiled Wool Fabric for a Footwear Factory in Colombia

Boiled Wool Fabric for a Footwear Factory in Colombia

A Footwear Factory approached us with a boiled wool fabric requirement for the Colombia 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

• 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
• Shade drift between the approved lab dip and the bulk lot

What we specified

How it was resolved

1. We rebuilt the specification around Neoprene and locked the tolerance before bulk.
2. The finish was moved to Enzyme Wash Finish after strike-off tests showed better durability.
3. A pre-production sample was approved and retained as the golden reference.
4. Production ran with in-line inspection and a mid-run photo report.
5. Cartons were packed to the client's own barcode and ratio specification.

Result

• 50,000 pieces delivered inside the 10-week window.
• Unit cost held within 4.5% of the original quotation.
• Inspection-related rejection stayed under 2.0%.
• The specification is now 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?

If you are comparing suppliers, send us the spec they quoted against. We will quote the same spec and show you where the difference sits.