Case Study: Custom Wired Edge Ribbon for a Military Supply Contractor in Sweden

Wired Edge Ribbon for a Military Supply Contractor in Sweden

A Military Supply Contractor approached us with a wired edge ribbon requirement for the Sweden 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

• Shade drift between the approved lab dip and the bulk lot
• Reorders that quietly changed supplier and changed the hand feel
• Elastic that lost recovery after three washes

What we specified

How it was resolved

1. We rebuilt the specification around ABS Resin and locked the tolerance before bulk.
2. The finish was moved to Rainbow Iridescent 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

• 2,000 pieces delivered inside the 6-week window.
• Unit cost held within 2.0% 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?

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.