Case studies

Eight recent briefs, what they shipped, what we learned.

The cases below are real, with permission from the buyers. Some asked us to keep the company name vague; we do, but the numbers are not rounded for comfort. If you import in a similar space, read the one closest to your brief — and tell us what we got wrong.

Start a brief like these
A consolidated shipment lifted at a container port in southern China at golden hour, bound for a Latin American port
Case 01 · Buenos Aires · 2025

Copper busbars for a panelboard assembler

A 38-staff Argentine assembler had bought busbars from a single São Paulo importer for nine years — price drift of 22% over two years with no spec change. They came to us in February 2025.

BriefRectangular busbars, 40×5 mm to 100×10 mm, 99.9% Cu, half-hard, 5.8 m lengths, IEC 60228.
ScanSix candidates in Yangzhou and Foshan; three shortlisted; samples in Buenos Aires within 12 days.
Result14% under the São Paulo benchmark. 32 days door-to-door, paperwork clean, first container released May 2025.
LearnedFor Mercosur, certificate-of-origin handling adds 3–5 days. We now budget it into every quote.
Case 02 · Santiago · 2024

Decorative wall panels for a Chilean retailer

A 12-store retailer of interior finishes in Santiago had been burned twice by mismatched samples — production batches did not match the reference panels they had agreed on.

BriefPVC stone-look panels, 8 colours, 600×2900 mm, matte, two CIF Valparaíso containers per quarter.
SafeguardColour calibration board signed before production; 42-photo QC at packing; AQL tightened to 1.5 on the visible face.
ResultDefect rate dropped from 6.8% to 0.7% over six containers. ~11 points of margin recovered.
LearnedFor colour-critical SKUs, a signed reference board is non-negotiable. We refuse the brief without one.
Case 03 · Lima · 2024

Office furniture for a corporate refit

A Lima distributor had a 240-desk refit contract with a Peruvian bank. The factory they shortlisted on their own was technically correct but logistically slow. They asked us to second-guess.

Brief240 L-shape desks 1600×1200 mm, 240 ergonomic mesh chairs, 60 storage cabinets. Lima inside 70 days.
CounterWe proposed a Dongguan workshop with stronger packaging — the prior shortlist had a 9% loose-component rate.
Result240 / 240 desks delivered intact, seven days ahead of schedule. Now their default supplier for three years.
LearnedFor KD furniture, packaging beats price. We score it as a separate dimension on every shortlist now.
Case 04 · Bogotá · 2024

Mixed-pallet vinyl flooring for a distributor

A Bogotá distributor wanted to test eight references in a single shipment, each at small volumes, before committing to full containers per SKU.

Brief8 LVT references, 80 m² each, plus a full pallet of SPC click planks. One CIF Cartagena shipment, mixed pallet.
NegotiationWe cut the factory MOQ from 600 m² to 80 m² per reference against an annual framework commitment.
ResultThree of eight became core SKUs. Framework now in year two, 1,800 m²+ per quarter.
LearnedMOQ break is usually possible against a 12-month volume. Suppliers prefer steady revenue over spikes.
A clean modern Guangzhou production floor with finished goods stacked on pallets, where Amity audits candidate factories
Case 05 · Montevideo · 2024

Mixed brief: panels, flooring, lighting

A Montevideo showroom wanted a single CIF container with three product families. Each family normally has its own supplier, container and paperwork.

Brief160 m² wall panels (3 refs), 720 m² LVT (4 refs), 280 lighting fixtures (12 refs). One 40′HQ.
ChallengeThree factories across Foshan, Changzhou and Zhongshan. Eduardo flew to all three in one week.
ResultSingle container, 19 line items, none missing. Customs cleared in three days.
LearnedMixed-family containers pay off only with a recurring rhythm. We require a 12-month plan for these.
Case 06 · Querétaro · 2024

Wall-panel pilot at three textures

A Querétaro architecture firm wanted to test three wall-panel textures in a single CIF Manzanillo shipment before placing an annual order.

Brief3 textures, 90 m² each, 600×2900 mm, WPC slatted acoustic and PVC stone-look. 30-day window.
NegotiationWPC MOQ was 400 m² per texture; cut to 90 m² against a 1,200 m² / 12-month commitment if selected.
ResultOne texture selected, framework now in year three. Total 2024–2025: 3,200 m².
LearnedPilot containers shift the cost / risk ratio when you can commit to follow-up volume.
Case 07 · Guayaquil · 2025

Copper grounding plates for a utility

An Ecuadorian utility contractor needed 1,800 grounding plates for a substation upgrade, with UL 467 dimensional compliance documented on shipment.

Brief600×600 mm and 400×400 mm plates, 3 mm thick, M10 threaded studs. UL 467 documentation in English.
SourcingTwo Foshan factories scanned — one had the spec, one the documentation experience. We used the second.
Result1,800 / 1,800 plates in 36 days. Substation commissioned on time; contract extended two phases.
LearnedFor regulated installs, the supplier who can write the cert letter often beats the cheaper one.
Case 08 · Buenos Aires · 2024

Ergonomic chair line for a reseller

An Argentine reseller wanted to launch its own ergonomic chair line — three SKUs across price points, OEM packaging and BIFMA test reports on file.

Brief3 SKUs: entry, mid, pro. 240 units each. BIFMA X5.1 reports, OEM packaging, 5-year frame warranty.
SourcingFour factories visited in Anji (the chair capital); two shortlisted; samples in Buenos Aires in 14 days.
ResultLine launched May 2024; 480 chairs in stock by July. Quarterly repeats, +28% margin vs prior deal.
LearnedFor OEM packaging launches, allow two weeks for printing approval — the chair is rarely the bottleneck.

Yours could be case 09.

Tell us your brief in three lines. We come back with a feasibility note, a reference case and a price range. No fee until you say go.