Six stages, one counterpart
The same route for every order. The buyer always knows which stage the order is in and what has to happen next for it to advance.
The six stages, one by one
Brief and target price
We take the reference, the quantity per model, the target price, the destination market and the date it has to be on the shelf. Those five lines set everything that follows.
- Output: written enquiry sent to the shortlist.
Factory shortlist and quotation
We quote with two or three factories against the same written specification and send the comparison, with the price ladder by volume and what each one includes.
- Output: comparable quotation and a recommendation.
Samples and product development
Samples arrive, changes are agreed and the specification is closed. If the line needs a name and a brand, that work starts here, in parallel with the sample rounds.
- Output: approved sample and closed specification.
Packaging artwork and dielines
The pack is designed on the real dieline, proofed on the real board and signed off before the print run. The buyer keeps the editable files.
- Output: signed proof and print-ready files.
Production and inspection
Weekly status against the calendar and sampling against the checklist while the line is running. The photo report goes out before the container is loaded.
- Output: inspection report with photographs.
Dispatch and documents
Consolidation, booking and the document set the destination customs will ask for, checked before the goods travel. The warranty terms travel with the order.
- Output: shipment on the water and documents in hand.
What sets the clock at each stage
We do not publish a delivery time before knowing the product: it would be a number invented to look reassuring. What we can publish is what each stage actually depends on, so the calendar of your order can be built with you.
| Stage | What sets its duration |
|---|---|
| Brief and target price | How complete the brief is. A reference plus a target price moves in days; a description without either can take weeks of back and forth. |
| Factory shortlist and quotation | Whether the item already exists in the factories we work with, or has to be developed from a reference. |
| Samples and product development | Whether the mould exists. An existing mould means sample rounds; a new mould means tooling, and tooling is the longest single step of any order. |
| Packaging artwork and dielines | How many times the artwork goes back. Each round of changes on the printed panel is a round of proofs, and the press does not start until the proof is signed. |
| Production and inspection | The quantity, the number of models and whether the destination requires the model to be tested before it ships. |
| Dispatch and documents | Sailing frequency on the route and the customs of the destination. Sea transit from Asia to Latin America is a matter of weeks and it is the one figure here that is geography and not performance. |
How the money moves
Written into the quotation before production starts, never agreed halfway through a run.
The quotation states the currency, the terms and the validity period.
The proforma matches the specification that was approved with the sample.
The balance is tied to the inspection report, not to the calendar.
After the container sails
Every product managed through Shanghai SPL carries an international warranty. The claim route is written in the quotation and the person who ran the order is the one who answers.
Tell us the product and the target price
We reply with the sourcing plan, the packaging we propose and a quotation that can be compared.