Case Study: Custom Shock Cord for a Footwear Factory in Portugal
Source:Durable PET Stickers /
Time:2026-09-18
Shock Cord for a Footwear Factory in Portugal
A Footwear Factory approached us with a shock cord requirement for the Portugal 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 compliance document that arrived after the goods were already shipped
- Elastic that lost recovery after three washes
- A spec that lived in an email instead of a tech pack
What we specified
| Item | Shock Cord |
|---|---|
| Client type | A Footwear Factory |
| Market | Portugal |
| Order volume | 50,000 pieces across 4 specifications |
| Base material | Bamboo |
| Standard size | 6 mm Width |
| Finish | Anodised Finish |
| Sampling rounds | 2 |
| Delivery window | 4 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | California Prop 65 |
How it was resolved
- We rebuilt the specification around Bamboo and locked the tolerance before bulk.
- The finish was moved to Gunmetal Finish 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
- 50,000 pieces delivered inside the 4-week window.
- Unit cost held within 1.5% of the original quotation.
- Inspection-related rejection stayed under 1.5%.
- 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?
Tell us the item, the quantity and the delivery window. We will quote it with the sub-processes named, so the lead time you approve is the lead time you get.
