Fishing gear supplier recovery for Australia
LIFA investigated mislabeled fishing-gear steel for an Australian buyer, qualified replacement factories and reduced corrosion returns to 0.4%.
- The buyer
- A Sydney, Australia importer of fishing tackle supplying 150+ specialty stores.
- The product scope
- Saltwater fishing hooks and terminal tackle; 30 SKUs, ~400,000 units annually.
What needed to change?
Hooks corroded after 2-3 saltwater trips; 5% of sales returned; the product was labeled 316 stainless but tested as 304 or lower-grade steel.
How LIFA managed the work
We verified steel grade via spectrometry testing on 15 SKUs.
We documented the substitution: mixed 316 and lower-grade stock in the same batch.
We re-sourced 2 factories with material certificates and spectrometric QC.
We added grade verification to the pre-shipment inspection checklist.
Defective stock recalled and replaced; new factories supply verified 316 steel; corrosion returns dropped to 0.4%; brand trust restored with key retailers.
From our company project database, with the work, approvals and results shown together.
What this project shows
Material certificates needed confirmation against the supplied product. Spectrometry identified grade substitution that visual inspection would not reliably catch.
Client identities, supplier contacts and confidential commercial terms are withheld from this public company record.
