Brief
The owners of an eco-printing and laser cutting company wanted to launch their own premium leather products brand.
They needed assistance in developing the brand, systems and business design from the
ground up.
Problem Statement
The owners aimed to manufacture and sell luxury goods through online and offline storefronts. Existing primary competitors with similar goods were Nappa Dori and Hidesign.
A new brand would struggle to compete in terms of quality, brand perception and customer experience.
To compete in this market, a distinctive USP was required.
USP
The Blue-Ocean Strategy was identified as the optimum way to proceed.
A possible market gap was discovered after studying the offerings of the leading rival. At the time, several additional secondary competitors (both domestic and international) were entering the personalization space.
The best way to enter the industry was to give clients premium quality leather products with customization and personalization possibilities.
Harts Offerings
Harts
Customize
Design a bag from scratch
Offline Store
Harts
Personalize
Print or engrave on our options
Online Store
Traditional Process of Leather
Problems with Existing Systems
As Hart's customization is into Unit Production, there were a lot of problems we encountered along the way.
Making multiple iterations of the product could significantly increase the cost of manufacturing. As a result, Harts would be unable to provide an attractive price and would be forced to sell at very low margins.
Design Process - Intervention
Problem
Designing every single product for a unit piece production is a time-consuming process.
The chances of making a perfect product on the first effort are nearly impossible.
Solution
Standardizing each and every part of the product right from the shape of the bag to the pockets.
The manufacturing process is standardized as well.
Result
The research and designing process has reduced from one day to a few hours.
Standardizing Design Example - Bag
Shape
Standardizing sizes for different bags are available as a set of predefined patterns.
Pockets
Standardizing pocket sizes and dividers as per the customer's specifications.
Cover
Standardizing top cover, flaps, zips, etc. with required allowance.
Fixtures
Standardizing lock mechanisms and other metal fixtures.
Handles
Standardizing holders, slings, straps with allowance needed.
Pattern Making Intervention
Problem
70% of quality issues in the product are due to handmade patterns.
The traditional method is more time consuming with less accuracy.
Solution
Designers were taught to make patterns in software which is then laser cut for precision.
Result
Time taken for the pattern-making process has reduced from an average of 5 to 2 hours.
The margin of error in the pattern has reduced from 1 cm to 0.02 mm.
Product Making Process - Outline
Designer
Product design and pattern for the products are made in CorelDRAW and are sent to the machine operator.
M-Operator
The machine operator laser cuts these patterns and hands them over to the mastercraftsman.
Mastercraftsman
The mastercraftsman receives the pattern and design. He cuts the product material with the pattern to the specifications of the design sheet.
Tailor
The tailor stitches the product and gets it approved by both the mastercraftsman and designer.
Other Problems and Solutions
Improper handling of the materials can cause damage.
We should maintain proper tracking systems on inventory and random quality checks.
As the bag makers are not very experienced with the stitches, sometimes it goes in a cross.
This is solved by buying and custom making certain attachments to the machines which don't hinder their productivity.
Standardizing leather thickness, as different leathers need different allowances.
In a custom buy, there will be differences in the thickness which will be taken into account while designing the product.
Modern Process of Bag Making
Overall Results
Reduction in Cost
With the new systems in place, the manufacturing time and raw materials usage has reduced drastically.
Less QC Rejects
Reworks and rejects have
significantly reduced.
Higher Efficiency
Standardizing and sequencing the systems has increased productivity.
Harts Customize
(Offline Store)
Customer designs a
unique bag
Personalize the product as per their needs
Design confidentiality contract is signed with the customer
Personalize the gift packing
Systems and Service - Blueprint
First Product made this way
This was the first product made in this manner.
A customer had a very specific bag requirement. This was created in collaboration with him based on his preferences, needs and desires. He was pleased with the entire procedure, quality and price.
He intended to replace all his bags and accessories with our products. He was involved in the design process to ensure that they fit his requirements.