Case Study: Custom Pearl Button for a Military Supply Contractor in New Zealand

Pearl Button for a Military Supply Contractor in New Zealand

A Military Supply Contractor approached us with a pearl button requirement for the New Zealand 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

• Lead time quoted without the plating or dyeing sub-process
• A spec that lived in an email instead of a tech pack
• Shrinkage that only showed up after the first wash

What we specified

How it was resolved

1. We rebuilt the specification around Polyester and locked the tolerance before bulk.
2. The finish was moved to Nickel-Free Electroplating 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

• 100,000 pieces delivered inside the 10-week window.
• Unit cost held within 4.5% of the original quotation.
• Inspection-related rejection stayed under 1.0%.
• 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?

Share the programme details and we will propose two alternatives — one optimised for unit cost, one for lead time — and let you choose.