UKC

Completely random but I think the right people will be hereabouts and able to help.

Work related request for help if I may. I need to be able to have manufactured a very small sample run of a fabric cover for a product I'm involved in, in varying Pantone colours. The material is the stretchy trainer-sock type stuff, woven in to a tube and which will cover a cylinder. I can provide spec and reference material that were used originally.

My biggest problem is the small sample run, This is essentially to test for colour, colour fastness, usability/durability, and to do some user testing. The facility I work with in China will only do one colour at a time and in batches of 2K. My asking for one each of 6 colours is not going to happen.

So, if you're a gear manufacturer and you think you may be able to help I'd love love to have a chat with you. Pay off will be a beer on me and a reference case-study where you get the glory of digging me out of a hole.

Thanks - Stu

If it's a stitching job you're after I recommend getting in touch with Made by Scavenger. They make all their products in Sheffield.

Pretty hand with a sewing machine. You may have to pay for their time though. Only fair.

My sister is an ace sewer- she makes outdoor gear (jackets etc) for friends- they look like they are made by the major label manufacturers. Her day job is working  for Point North Profabrics.co.uk  in Cheshire. 

I'm in Melbourne so feel safe recommending her! Don't think she drinks beer but you can send me one!!!

if interested I will ask her.

You might have better luck if you pay people for their services rather than offering them ~£4.50 and some warm words.

I actually received a private email with some incredibly good advice from someone with far more experience in materials than I could ever hope to gain and this was really appreciated and will be incredibly helpful. As a Product Manager that's what I/we do, ask around, share knowledge and experience, if the need is there we enter in to an NDA and a commercial agreement. Often times though we have a chat, we look at problems from different angles and offer up solutions.

What I have noticed however is how easily a simple request on here for some help can be turned in to something unnecessarily snarky. The offer of a pint is a good natured offer on my part and you know what, there are app's for that. The offer of a case-study detailing how X helped Y, these are worth their weight in gold in terms of product marketing value.- be it free or paid advice given and if it is the case that the advice I have been given works for me the very least I will do is provide.

Perhaps your experiences have been different, I tend not to take people for granted.

Why not have the stuff made in the UK. May be more expensive, but less transport costs and child labour involved!

That is an option and it's one I'd rather go for than off-shore. It's working out how to do samples that has been the problem though not the manufacturing at this stage.

I can safely say, and having been to the factory know for sure, that we stick to a zero tolerance policy for unethical manufacturing practices especially those where children are involved.