Kitchen knife quality recovery for Argentina
LIFA investigated knife steel and hardness discrepancies for an Argentine buyer, negotiated a claim and helped reduce returns to 0.6%.
- The buyer
- A Buenos Aires, Argentina importer of kitchen knives for retail and hospitality.
- The product scope
- Kitchen knife sets; 8 SKUs, 25,000 units per year.
What needed to change?
Blades rusted and dulled quickly; hardness tests showed HRC 52 instead of the claimed 58; steel certificates contradicted test results.
How LIFA managed the work
We ran hardness and composition testing on 15 blade samples.
We documented the steel grade mismatch across the range.
We re-sourced 2 manufacturers with certified blade steel and HRC testing.
We added hardness sampling to the QC protocol.
Claim settled for 50% of batch value; new range certified at HRC 57-59; hospitality contracts regained; returns fell to 0.6%.
From our company project database, with the work, approvals and results shown together.
What this project shows
Hardness and composition tests needed to agree with the steel specification. Adding hardness sampling made the replacement production easier to verify.
Client identities, supplier contacts and confidential commercial terms are withheld from this public company record.
