Case Study: Maintaining Consistency Across 270 Handles for a National Retail Chain

Volume projects reveal manufacturing capability immediately. You can't hide process inconsistencies when you need handle one and handle two hundred and seventy to be identical.

This case study breaks down exactly how we maintained specification accuracy across a recent large-volume project for a national retail chain.

The Project Brief

National retail chain. Forty-seven locations across England and Scotland. Store refurbishment programme rolling out over six months.

Requirements:

• Two hundred and seventy handles total

• Brushed stainless steel finish

• Commercial-grade mechanisms rated for high-traffic retail

• Absolute consistency across all locations

• Phased delivery matching their refurbishment schedule

The critical specification: handles installed in January must be identical to handles installed in June. Same finish quality. Same dimensional tolerances. Same mechanism performance.

No visible variation acceptable across any location nationwide.

Why Volume Consistency Is Harder Than It Looks

Manufacturing two hundred and seventy handles sounds straightforward. Manufacturing two hundred and seventy identical handles is significantly more complex.

Material Variation

Stainless steel varies slightly between batches. Different suppliers. Different production runs. Subtle differences in alloy composition or surface characteristics.

For single installations, this variation is invisible. For volume projects spanning six months, it becomes noticeable.

Handle one (manufactured January, material batch A) might look slightly different from handle two hundred and seventy (manufactured June, material batch F).

Process Drift

Manufacturing processes drift over time. Equipment calibration changes slightly. Finishing techniques evolve. Quality standards relax incrementally.

For single projects, this drift doesn't matter. For volume projects, it creates visible inconsistency.

Production Scheduling

Six-month delivery timeline. Other projects manufacturing simultaneously. Production scheduling affects consistency.

If we manufactured all two hundred and seventy handles in January, consistency would be simpler. Manufacturing them across six months whilst handling other projects requires rigorous process control.

How We Maintained Consistency

Volume consistency requires engineering discipline at every production stage.

1. Material Sourcing Control

We don't order stainless steel as needed. We procure material for entire volume projects upfront.

For this retail chain project:

• Ordered complete material requirement in January

• Single supplier, single production batch

• Verified material specifications with mill certificates

• Stored material in controlled conditions

This eliminated material variation entirely. Every handle across six months used material from identical source with identical characteristics.

Cost implications: higher upfront material costs, storage requirements, capital tied up longer. But guaranteed consistency.

2. Process Documentation

We created detailed process documentation specific to this project:

• CNC programming parameters locked for duration

• Finishing protocol documented with specific techniques, timing, and quality checkpoints

• Mechanism installation sequence standardised

• Inspection criteria defined with measurable tolerances

Every handle manufactured January through June followed identical documented processes. No variation. No process drift. No technique evolution.

3. Quality Checkpoints Throughout Production

We didn't inspect finished handles and hope for consistency. We verified consistency at multiple production stages.

Material Inspection Every material batch verified against specifications before manufacturing.

In-Process Inspection Random sampling during CNC machining. Dimensional verification. Surface quality checks.

Finishing Verification Brushed stainless finish inspected for consistency. Pattern direction. Surface texture. Reflectivity.

Mechanism Testing Every mechanism tested for operation smoothness. Force required. Return action. Long-term durability.

Final Inspection Complete handle verification. Dimensional tolerances. Finish quality. Mechanism performance. Visual appearance.

4. Batch Consistency Verification

We manufactured handles in batches aligned with their refurbishment schedule. Each batch underwent comparison testing against previous batches.

Before shipping any batch, we compared random samples to samples from previous batches. Visual comparison. Dimensional measurement. Finish quality verification.

If any variation detected, we identified the cause and corrected before shipping.

5. Reference Standards

We maintained physical reference standards for the entire project duration.

Three handles from the first production batch were retained as references. Every subsequent batch was compared against these standards.

This ensured handles manufactured in June matched handles manufactured in January precisely.

The Results

Two hundred and seventy handles delivered across six months. Forty-seven locations nationwide.

Zero consistency complaints. Zero variation between locations. Zero quality issues.

The handles installed in location one (January) are indistinguishable from handles installed in location forty-seven (June).

Same finish quality. Same dimensional accuracy. Same mechanism performance.

This is what proper volume manufacturing delivers.

What This Required Operationally

Maintaining this level of consistency required operational discipline beyond standard manufacturing.

Upfront Investment Complete material procurement before manufacturing began. Higher initial costs. Capital tied up longer. Storage requirements.

Process Discipline No shortcuts. No technique variations. No efficiency optimisations that might affect consistency. Every handle followed identical processes regardless of production timing.

Quality Verification Time Inspection added time to every batch. Comparison testing. Reference standard verification. Documentation.

Schedule Coordination Phased delivery meant manufacturing batches six months apart. Required careful production scheduling whilst handling other concurrent projects.

Documentation Burden Every batch documented. Every inspection recorded. Every comparison test filed. Complete traceability from material batch to final installation location.

Why This Matters for Specifiers

Multi-site retail projects, hotel chains, office developments, restaurant groups all require volume consistency.

The handles specified for location one must perform identically at location fifty.

This case study demonstrates what proper volume manufacturing requires:

Material Control Single source procurement. Verified specifications. Controlled storage.

Process Standardisation Documented procedures. No variation. No drift over time.

Quality Verification Multiple checkpoints. Comparison testing. Reference standards.

Operational Discipline Upfront investment. Schedule coordination. Documentation rigour.

Volume manufacturing isn't about making many handles. It's about making many identical handles where first and last are indistinguishable.

That requires engineering systems, quality protocols, and operational discipline that many manufacturers don't maintain.

The Volume and Bespoke Connection

Interestingly, the systems required for this volume consistency are the same systems we use for bespoke projects.

Material verification. Process documentation. Quality inspection. Reference standards.

Bespoke projects require these systems because every specification is unique. Volume projects benefit from these same systems because consistency demands verification.

The manufacturing infrastructure that enables bespoke flexibility ensures volume consistency.

This is why we engineered our facility to deliver both capabilities. Not opposing strengths. Complementary outcomes of proper manufacturing systems.

Lessons for Large Volume Projects

If you're specifying door furniture for multi-site projects:

Plan Material Procurement Early Volume consistency starts with material sourcing. Single batch procurement eliminates variation.

Document Specification Requirements Clear specifications enable consistent manufacturing. Ambiguous requirements create inconsistent results.

Build Inspection Time Into Schedules Proper quality verification takes time. Factor this into project timelines.

Maintain Reference Standards Physical samples enable consistency verification across production timeframes.

Choose Manufacturers With Volume Experience Making many handles differs fundamentally from making many identical handles. Not all manufacturers maintain the systems volume consistency requires.

Final Thoughts

This retail chain project demonstrated what volume manufacturing actually means.

Not speed. Not efficiency. Not lowest cost.

Verified consistency across complete production runs. Material control. Process discipline. Quality verification. Operational rigour.

Two hundred and seventy identical handles. Forty-seven locations. Six months. Zero variation.

That's proper volume manufacturing.