Case Study: Custom Shell Button for a Footwear Factory in South Korea
Source:Life-Size Character Sculptures /
Time:2026-09-18
Shell Button for a Footwear Factory in South Korea
A Footwear Factory approached us with a shell button requirement for the South Korea 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
- A zipper puller that broke under pull test at the warehouse
What we specified
| Item | Shell Button |
|---|---|
| Client type | A Footwear Factory |
| Market | South Korea |
| Order volume | 10,000 pieces across 3 specifications |
| Base material | ABS Resin |
| Standard size | 9 mm Width |
| Finish | Powder Coating |
| Sampling rounds | 3 |
| Delivery window | 5 weeks from PO to ex-factory |
| Compliance | WRAP |
How it was resolved
- We rebuilt the specification around ABS Resin and locked the tolerance before bulk.
- The finish was moved to Mercerised 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
- 10,000 pieces delivered inside the 5-week window.
- Unit cost held within 2.0% 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.
