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Case Studies

Programmes we have run, described by what the client needed and what actually happened afterwards.

Featured programme

European Tier-1 Supplier Qualifies Three Cell Plants in Six Days

A Tier-1 supplier needed to qualify alternative battery cell sources outside its incumbent vendor. We pre-screened nine plants, removed four that were trading intermediaries, and built a six-day route around the five remaining.

ClientEuropean automotive Tier-1 supplier
RegionChangzhou · Ningbo · Shanghai
Duration6 days
Delegation5 (procurement + quality)
Route
Day 1 Shanghai briefing · Day 2–3 Changzhou cell plants · Day 4 Ningbo pack integrator · Day 5 Shanghai R&D centre · Day 6 debrief & scoring session
Outcome
Three plants shortlisted for sample phase; two entered quotation; one signed an NDA-based joint development agreement within four months. The client cancelled its planned second trip — two of the three finalists were already covered.
“What we could never have arranged ourselves is the depth of the conversations. We were not shown a showroom; we were shown the cost structure, and the plant director answered the awkward questions.” — Head of Battery Sourcing, European Tier-1
Cell assembly line, Changzhou Electrode coating workshop Quality review with the plant director View photos · 3 photos

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Featured programme

US Growth Fund Stress-tests Nine Robotics Companies Before Term Sheet

The fund needed to separate real in-house capability from reseller stories in the robotics component space. We designed a uniform question set so answers across nine companies were directly comparable.

ClientUS growth equity fund
RegionShanghai · Suzhou · Shenzhen
Duration8 days (two trips)
Delegation3 (partners + analyst)
Route
Two trips covering reducer makers, arm assemblers and two humanoid startups; identical scoring matrix applied at every site
Outcome
Four companies dropped out after discrepancies between claimed and observed capacity. One investment closed; the fund reused our scoring matrix for two later deals in the same sector.
“They did not just open doors. They told us which doors were worth opening, which saved us roughly a month of wasted travel.” — Operating Partner, US growth equity fund
Robotics integrator test floor Reducer workshop, Shenzhen Founder session with the investment team View photos · 3 photos

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Featured programme

Middle East Industry Association Delegation to Smart Manufacturing Clusters

A mixed delegation with widely different interests: some wanted to buy lines, some wanted to attract Chinese investment home. We split itineraries on two days so nobody sat through irrelevant plant walks.

ClientNational industry association (Middle East)
RegionSuzhou · Foshan · Shenzhen
Duration7 days
Delegation22 delegates from 14 companies
Route
Joint days: flexible line integrator, vision cell, industrial software demo centre. Split days: line purchase track / inward-investment track. Closing: park-level roundtable in Suzhou.
Outcome
Six members signed MOUs; the association booked a return programme for the following year and asked us to run the China leg annually.
“Running a 22-person delegation is mostly logistics. Running one where everyone actually gets value is judgment. They have the judgment.” — Secretary General, national industry association
Delegation briefing, Shanghai Industrial park masterplan session Closing roundtable with park tenants View photos · 3 photos

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Southeast Asian Distributor Finds Three OEM Partners Without Flying

Budget approval was stalled, so we started with virtual tours of six factories. Based on the recordings the client eliminated three and flew for the remaining three only.

ClientSoutheast Asian consumer electronics distributor
RegionOnline (pre-trip) + Shenzhen · Dongguan
Duration3 weeks remote + 3 days on site
Delegation2
Route
Six 90-minute livestreams → three-day on-site confirmation trip agreed terms sheets
Outcome
Two OEM agreements signed. Total trip cost fell roughly 60% versus the original eight-factory plan.
“The virtual round paid for itself twice over.” — Managing Director, Southeast Asian distributor
Showroom walkthrough before supplier meetings Matching session, Shenzhen Factory gate and dispatch area View photos · 3 photos

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Every case is anonymised by default using sector and company size. Named references can be arranged for qualified prospects.

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