Industries Cases Snapshot
Coding & Packing Industry
Position
Sourcing Director – Coding & Packing Industry
Shanghai | $150 k Base
The Client
A US-headquartered manufacturer of high-speed thermal transfer printers and automated packing lines. After winning a three-year OEM contract with a Fortune-100 retailer, they urgently needed a Shanghai-based Sourcing Director to localize 60 % of their bill of materials within 18 months.
The Challenge
• Technical scope: mechanical sub-assemblies, stepper motors, printheads, and IoT sensor boards.
• Complexity: 200+ SKUs, dual-sourcing required, PPAP & ISO 13485 traceability for medical-grade packaging.
• Language: English fluency to report to Boston HQ, Mandarin to manage Jiangsu-Zhejiang supplier clusters.
• Timeline: start-up approval needed in 7 weeks to meet customer pilot line.
Our Approach
Day 1–3: Built a cross-industry long-list of 28 senior sourcing leaders from Domino, Markem-Imaje, Videojet, and two Japanese coding-equipment firms.
Day 4: 10-minute screen focused on (i) experience with >$50 M annual purchasing volume, (ii) direct negotiation with Tier-1 motor & encoder suppliers, (iii) English conference-call fluency.
Day 5: Delivered 5 pre-vetted profiles; client CTO interviewed 3 via Teams within 48 hours.
Day 6–7: Arranged on-site supplier audits with two shortlisted candidates—one in Suzhou (stepper motors) and one in Kunshan (printhead PCBA).
Offer: $150 k base + 15 % annual bonus + relocation stipend. Candidate accepted within 24 hours.
Outcome
• Achieved 12 % cost-down on motors and 8 % on PCBA within 90 days.
• Dual-qualified three local suppliers ahead of pilot-line PPAP, saving an estimated $1.1 M in expedited freight.
• Pilot line went live on schedule; client extended the contract to a second product family six months early.
