Customer Case Study 3: Trial order to 1 Million Order
Dr. Mohammed is a professor at a university in Egypt specializing in plant and agricultural research.
Professor Md first contacted us through our website regarding sourcing issues with Methoxsalen raw materials. He needed these materials to compound ointments to cure rare skin diseases, which was one of his research projects at the university.
He searched the internet but couldn’t find reliable chemical suppliers to order methoxsalen powder (8-Methoxypsoralen or 8-MOP).
When he found us, he messaged and called us about the key quality-control indexes. We also indicated our lead time and prices on the phone. We could almost feel his relief in his tone, as he felt there was no need to look further.
He should have contacted other suppliers for the powder before, but he didn’t find the right supplier.
After this happy deal with us, Professor Md was willing to share his project requirements with the other APIs and chemicals.
It turned out that he had many projects on his hands.
The Challenge We Were Facing
The Professor’s new requirement was a plant extraction line.
However, the total value would be at least 1,580,000.00 USD.
Though our parent company, Sunrise Technology, has been dealing in equipment for the pharmaceutical and chemical industries for over 20 years, its focus is on analytical equipment, not plant extraction lines.
It was a headache for both sides because there were many technical issues regarding the functions and installations for each part of the plant extraction line.
Our specialty was chemicals and APIs, not those plant-extract machines.
The professor needed all the equipment that had been used in other parts of the world before.
Because each part of the manufacturing line came from a different manufacturer, we had to obtain all the parts from 4 to 5 other factories one by one and assemble them.
Which factory should we set them up at to make the process easier?
So, the key is to find the right one.
How We Managed To Do It
After rounds of negotiation, we selected one of the five manufacturers to be the assembler.
The manufacturer provided the main parts of the production line.
However, this project still required close technical collaboration among all manufacturers.
Though this was a massive project with a significant margin, we still decided to back out.
We knew what we were good at and what we were not.
It was a wise move for us to leave professional work to professionals.
We were happy to take chemical orders for the Professor and provide him with all the help we could with the plant extraction line, free of charge
Professor Mohammed praised us highly for what we had done.
He promised us his future chemical orders as a sign of gratitude for our help with his production line project.
What others say
One of our colleagues said it was a pity we did not get the professor’s order for the plant extract line.
If we could get it and set up a temporary technical team, it would enrich our experience handling large machine projects and help us serve more customers in the future.
We could not say we hadn’t thought about it, but the technical requirements for this project were well beyond our current abilities.
The professor is still happily working with us now.
Let’s hope we can get one of his other production projects soon.
About the Professor
It has been a long time since we wrote this post.
It didn’t go well for Professor Mohammed; COVID-19 took his life in 2022, and our business ended there. RIP, Professor.
We will continue to work with your daughter and do what we have been doing. We will see you in the next life!
