From Single Point of Failure to Two Plants in 90 Days

Theme: 90-day Pilot→Ramp; two plants live; exit criteria met
Clusters/Ports: Rajkot (engineering) + Coimbatore (machining) → Mundra/Tuticorin

A US buyer relied on one overseas plant. When capacity tightened, every delay became a crisis. We built a 90-day plan: shortlist two Indian suppliers, agree on simple exit criteria (match spec, hit dates, clean docs), and run a small pilot before ramp.

The factories made the parts; we kept everyone honest—sample dates, photo updates, third-party checks, and a weekly green/amber/red dashboard. By day 90, both Indian plants were shipping. No emergency airfreight, no gaps. On-time delivery settled around 95–97%, complaint tickets dropped, and the buyer had real leverage again.
Our role: shortlist, pilot calendar, QC/lab booking, document pack. Suppliers’ role: make and ship to the agreed spec.

Tooling Custody & IP Transfer—Without a Stockout

Theme: Recut vs move; minimal downtime
Clusters/Ports: Chennai/Coimbatore → Chennai/Tuticorin

An incumbent China supplier announced a wind-down and the tooling custody looked messy. We mapped two options with the buyer: move (if legally clear) or recut in India. Legal teams worked; we didn’t wait. The chosen Indian supplier’s toolroom rebuilt the tool from approved samples and drawings while we kept a small buffer of shipments moving.

A bridge (soft) tool shipped parts by week 6; the hardened tool followed by week 10–11. Quality held, OTD climbed toward 96%, and total cost landed at parity (slightly better at steady state). The big win: no stockout during the change.
Our role: supplier selection, NDA/PoA and custody paperwork, pilot schedule, PSI photos. Supplier’s role: build/qualify the tools and run.

Split the Risk, Keep the Promise

Theme: Dual-source to ride seasonality; OTD stability ↑
Clusters/Ports: West India + existing Asia supplier → Mundra/Nhava Sheva + original route

Demand spiked around holidays; Chinese New Year and local festivals created the same annual panic. We set a calm dual-source plan: start 70/30 (incumbent/new), switch to 60/40 in peak months, and give each plant clear weekly build slots. A simple rulebook said when to rebalance and which port to use if congestion hit.

Result: OTD rose into the mid-90s, expedite shipments dropped sharply, and finance stopped budgeting for last-minute airfreight. Same product, calmer calendar.
Our role: supplier pairing, volume-split rules, shared schedule, pre-booked inspections. Suppliers’ role: keep the beat and ship.