About the client:

The client is a leading trading card games retailer. They wanted to identify the root cause of the deterioration of their products from their outsourced manufacturer to look into the feasibility of moving their production in-house.

Challenge:

In this Research Support Service Project, the client engaged PreScouter to help them learn about the issues surrounding the sub-par quality of the last orders they made from their manufacturer. Hence, the client sought to identify the source of the issue and look into alternative polymer compositions and suppliers. In addition, they were interested in identifying the appropriate unit operations to bring manufacturing capabilities in-house.

Approach:

PreScouter began by conducting outreach to determine the source of the card sleeve failure and searching for the best contract research organization to conduct reverse engineering analysis. Patent analysis was also initiated.

The PreScouter team then looked into materials databases to characterize alternative polymer compositions with the same performance. They had a Subject Matter Expert validate and formulate a hypothesis regarding the source of failure. The team also reached out to potential suppliers, the most promising of which were presented to the client.

Outcome:

PreScouter and the client actively engaged in conversations with a machine manufacturer in China, who created samples for the client.

Impact of PreScouter’s work:

The client made plans to purchase a few machines as soon as possible and contracted with PreScouter to carry out more work for them.