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.

Matthew explains how his diverse network of 150 suppliers unlocks extensive design possibilities, enabling limitless creativity. He also highlights the economic advantages of sourcing directly from factories and emphasizes the invaluable role of his international business partners, who handle day-to-day manufacturing operations on the ground.

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.

We discuss the use cases for machines or handmade manufacturing.

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 review a checklist from How To Manufacture Overseas that outlines the vetting process for evaluating potential new suppliers.

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.

This section highlights Schwam Sourcing achievements.