Matthew discusses the primary vision that inspired him as founder of Schwam Sourcing Group, to “design without limits”.

In 2004, Schwam founded his first visual design firm. To support his design work, he established Schwam Sourcing Group, which led to an inspiring 15-year journey crafting holiday-centric displays. In 2019, Schwam Sourcing evolved into a dedicated manufacturing partner, providing year-round services to visual teams around the globe.

We examine how to align design concepts with the most suitable country and supplier partners. The differences between machine-made and handmade products are highlighted, along with the importance of supplier redundancy to ensure reliability, flexibility and best pricing.

This overview showcases Schwam’s Supplier Platform across seven countries, supported by a team of 150 suppliers, along with 35 purchasing offices and agents.

This section explains how the company's supplier network is organized to manufacture visual merchandising products. Categories include trees, plants, holiday decor, lighting, ceramics, glass vases, wood forms, paper goods, metal products, handicrafts, and many other elements. International sourcing partners play a vital role in identifying and managing suppliers across all these categories.

We discuss our understanding of all stakeholders involved in our process. Our strong relationships with customers, factories, and buying partners enable us to collaborate effectively and manage projects with fairness and transparency.

We strive to assess all available options to make informed decisions at every stage. This includes evaluating supplier choices across multiple locations, considering pricing, timelines, customized solutions, risk mitigation related to geopolitical and other factors, compliance, sustainability, design details, freight methods, 3PL services, and domestic delivery options.

Our customers use our extensive sample library as a quick way to evaluate concepts. Samples are provided overnight, allowing for a physical review to see if initial ideas align with the actual forms. Within days, we can confirm a direction or make adjustments as needed, ensuring efficient development.

Prototyping relies on clear communication to ensure smooth progress. Ultimately, we create prototypes based on detailed specifications. We also leverage our relationships to explore alternative and similar concepts that align with our customers’ needs and visions.

In addition to ensuring the visual integrity of the product, Schwam also considers factors such as functionality, safety, electrical requirements, weight capacity, transportability, and other relevant considerations.

Product quality is our top priority. Our primary focus is on supplier excellence, as the quality of the product guides us in determining which suppliers earn our attention and, ultimately, our business.

We assess new potential suppliers by submitting a sample request and carefully evaluate how they respond to and handle our inquiry.

Once Schwam identifies promising products and receives initial samples, we organize a factory visit. During the visit, we meet with management, inspect the facilities, and assess the machinery, production lines, and capabilities. If the visit meets our standards, we proceed with social and financial compliance audits.

The milestone timeline directs our journey from the initial discussion to the final delivery. This section highlights some of the many details we oversee throughout the process.

We discuss the use cases for machines or handmade manufacturing.

We guide you through creating a timeline using our proprietary Time To Source calculator.

Effective timeline management is crucial, especially when manufacturing overseas. In this section, we highlight the importance of understanding both the linear and interdependent aspects of the timeline.

We consider less obvious factors that can affect timing, such as adverse weather seasons, peak business periods, national holidays, and other external influences.

Understanding and managing the supplier’s timeline is essential. We examine factors such as raw material procurement, labor needs, machine efficiency, and other key elements that influence production schedules.

Checklists are essential for managing both simple and complex processes. Their value lies in capturing multiple steps, especially in situations where distractions are frequent, ensuring consistency and thoroughness.

The purpose of IPQC is to verify that the product is being manufactured in accordance with specifications at each stage of the production process.

Every product from Schwam Sourcing undergoes a thorough drop test. The purpose of this test is to ensure that the packaging effectively protects the contents from the factory floor all the way to the delivery destination.

Failing to detect leaks or structural issues with the container can cause significant problems. Having a manager follow a straightforward checklist is essential to ensure the integrity and protection of the container’s contents.

Packaging is a functional vessel, but also a form of informative details and brand expression.

The packaging team is responsible for designing, developing, and managing packaging specifications. Their main goal is to ensure that the product arrives safely, is easy to handle, and minimizes effort when unpacking and installing at the final destination.

This section explains the economic impact on the product unit price by analyzing the cubic capacity of each container.

The freight forwarder is essential in assessing freight options and coordinating the transportation of materials from the origin to the final delivery point.

A thorough understanding of US Customs regulations and other international customs requirements is crucial for ensuring a smooth process from port entry and customs clearance to on-time delivery.

Third-party logistics (3PL) offers an excellent alternative to owning or managing warehousing and shipping operations. This section highlights the benefits of partnering with a reliable 3PL provider.

Designers can achieve beyond their individual potential when they collaborate with a skilled and aligned team.

This section highlights Schwam Sourcing achievements.