Case study · Products
An industrial OEM consolidating silicone and nitrile parts.
The customer was buying silicone bellows from one supplier and nitrile seals from another. We took both under one arrangement.
The brief
What the customer arrived with.
An OEM producing industrial pumps was buying silicone flexible components and nitrile static seals from two different suppliers. They wanted to consolidate. Their procurement team led the RFQ.
How it went
Stage by stage.
Onboarding
One vendor questionnaire covered both product families. One trading account, one PO stream, one contact for both.
The silicone side
Silicone flexible bellows, compression-moulded, on repeat order at a monthly cadence. Grade chosen for temperature range and repeated cycling.
The nitrile side
Nitrile static seals, several profiles, compression-moulded, released against a rolling forecast. Compatible with the lubricants in the customer's pump assemblies.
Combined reporting
The customer's procurement team receives a quarterly report showing spend, delivery performance and any quality events across both product families. One report, not two.
Lessons
What we took from the job.
What we took from it
Where one supplier can run multiple materials well, consolidation removes overhead without losing specialist attention.
What we took from it
Combined reporting is a real time-saver for procurement teams.
What we took from it
The consolidation didn't come with a price increase — quite the opposite. Volume across two product families gave better material buying power.
Related
Where to read next.
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Which divisions worked on this
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Thomas LaneManaging Director
George PrestonDesign & Project Manager
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