GUIDE
Year-end corporate gift guide
The year-end corporate gift process needs to start in October. The last order date for December delivery is 1 November; after that, sample approval and production compress into the same month and there is no room for revision. On quantity, leaving a ten percent margin from the start removes the risk of leather tone variation on a second batch.
Why October?
In leather production the calendar is built backwards. For a gift that must be in your hands in the first week of December: dispatch 3-5 days, production 10-25 working days, sample approval 5-7 days, quotation and decision 3-5 days. Six to eight weeks in total.
Add to that the November-December congestion in every workshop, and early October becomes the last comfortable window.
Quantity planning
Leather is a natural material and tone can vary even within one batch. We cut all parts of an order from the same batch; once that batch is used up, additional production may not come out in exactly the same tone.
For that reason we recommend ordering about ten percent above your headcount. Saying “ten more” afterwards usually costs more than it appears.
Week by week
The plan below is for delivery in the first week of December.
- 1-7 October — brief, product and quantity confirmed
- 8-12 October — quotation and leather selection
- 13-20 October — sample production
- 21-27 October — sample approval and revision
- 28 October-25 November — series production
- 26-30 November — inspection and packing
- 1-5 December — dispatch
Three common mistakes
Mistakes we have seen repeat over forty years.
- Approving without seeing the sample — leather tone never looks true on a screen
- Leaving the quantity open until the last moment — an increase after production starts means a new batch
- Sending the logo in the final week — emblem cutting dies need five working days