One supplier is a single point of failure.
A price move, a capacity squeeze or a late shipment lands on your season rather than on theirs.
Solution · Second Sourcing
Find a Second Supplier
Send the product you already sell — a sample, a drawing or the model reference. We read the construction, reproduce it, and quote a second source that can be held next to the product you ship today.
Sample or Drawing What we start from
24 Hours Holding test on applicable products
AQL 1.5 Pre-shipment inspection
The Situation
Why Buyers Open a Second Source
A second supplier is rarely about wanting a new factory. It is a risk that has already appeared somewhere in the supply chain, and it has to be answered without lowering what the product already is.
The incumbent no longer wants to adjust details or process.
Changes to a detail, a film or a packing method stall, and the product stops improving while the market moves.
A replacement has to match the standard you already sell at.
If a second source cannot be checked against your current quality level, the switch costs more than the risk it removes.
COMCO Response
Reproduce First, Then Quote
The first job is not a price. It is a product that can be held next to yours.
What we need
Send the product, not a description
A physical sample, a technical drawing or the specification of the model you already buy. From that we read dimensions, film thickness, construction, print and accessories, and quote against a real construction rather than an assumption.
- Physical sample or technical drawing
- Dimensions and film thickness read
- Construction, print and accessories matched
Verification
Checked on the same bench as our own production
A reproduced sample goes through pre-production physical testing, and applicable inflatables are held under pressure for 24 hours before packing. Pre-shipment inspection runs at AQL 1.5, and your own third-party inspector is welcome at the factory.
- Pre-production physical testing
- 24-hour inflation holding, where applicable
- AQL 1.5 pre-shipment inspection
Process in action
Already Have a Product?
Four steps from the product you sell today to a second source you can compare against it.
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01
Product Review
Dimensions, film thickness, construction, print and accessories read from your sample or drawing.
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02
Sample Reproduction
A counter-sample built to the reviewed specification, for approval against your current product.
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03
Validation
Pre-production physical testing, and a 24-hour holding test on applicable inflatables.
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04
Second Supply Source
The approved sample released into repeatable volume production.
Evidence
What the Counter-Sample Is Checked Against
24 Hours
Inflation holding
Applicable inflatable products are held under pressure for 24 hours before packing.
7
Pre-production physical tests
Physical properties are checked on the sample before production starts.
AQL 1.5
Pre-shipment inspection
The inspection level applied to pre-shipment checks, with your own third-party inspector welcome at the factory.
Testing scope depends on the product and the market it is sold into: not every product carries the same test set. Audit and program experience is documented on Factory Audits & Compliance, where each program is stated with its own scope.
Where this leads
Related capabilities and products
A second source is reproduced, verified and scaled through these capabilities.
Development
Prototyping & Sampling
Physical prototypes and pre-production samples for buyer approval.
Engineering
Product Engineering
Engineering work on an existing product: problem analysis, improvement and cost & value engineering.
Capability
Testing & Inspection
Testing of materials and finished goods, and inspection before shipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find a Second Supplier FAQ
What buyers ask first about this problem, and how COMCO answers it.
Yes. Send a physical sample or a technical drawing. We read the dimensions, film thickness, construction, print and accessories, then build a counter-sample for you to compare against the product you sell today.
The model you want matched, its size, colour and pattern, the film thickness, the artwork where there is print, and any detail requirements. A physical sample shortens the process considerably.
Yes. Size, structure and film thickness can be adjusted during reproduction, so a second source can carry a better specification as well as a second address. That work is set out on Improve an Existing Product.
Open a second source
Send the product you want matched.
A sample, a drawing or a model reference is enough for us to review the construction and tell you what a counter-sample would involve.