Case Study: Custom Sherpa Fabric for a Hospital Procurement Team in Australia

Sherpa Fabric for a Hospital Procurement Team in Australia

A Hospital Procurement Team approached us with a sherpa fabric requirement for the Australia 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

• Reorders that quietly changed supplier and changed the hand feel
• Cartons packed to the factory ratio instead of the buyer's size ratio
• A compliance document that arrived after the goods were already shipped

What we specified

How it was resolved

1. We rebuilt the specification around Genuine Leather 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

• 2,000 pieces delivered inside the 6-week window.
• Unit cost held within 1.5% 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

Approve a pre-production sample made from the actual bulk base material. Substitute material behaves differently in finishing.

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.