Programme Execution & After-sales
Most charger programmes do not fail at the specification. They fail in the gaps between RFQ, sampling, tooling, shipping and the first warranty claim. This guide covers those mechanics.
Three routes, and you only need one of them
Writing the RFQ, running the project, and handling what comes back after delivery are three different jobs. Start with the one you are actually doing.
Write the RFQ
Most delays in a charger programme trace back to a question that was not asked before the quotation.
Run the project
Sampling, tooling and carton decisions are the three places where a schedule quietly slips.
Handle what comes back
DOA, RMA and warranty are decided by the terms agreed before the first shipment, not after the first complaint.
Where programmes actually lose time
Three points in the sequence account for most of the slippage, and each one is avoidable with a template rather than a conversation.
The RFQ leaves out the market
Certification, plug kit and label requirements are decided by where the product ships. An RFQ that omits the market produces a quotation that cannot be compared with another.
The sample is approved verbally
Approval without a signed reference sample means every later disagreement is unresolvable. The sample is the specification.
Tooling starts after the order
Tooling is the longest physical item in the schedule. Starting it after the purchase order rather than alongside the sampling is the single most common cause of a missed date.
Repeat orders and the warranty tail
The second order is usually easier and the warranty period is usually harder. Both are decided in the first contract.
Lock the platform for reorders
A multi-SKU platform lets you add a wattage tier or a plug variant without new tooling. That is what makes the second order profitable rather than a repeat of the first.
Agree the failure process before it happens
Who pays for return freight, what documentation is required and what response time applies are all contract terms. Negotiating them after a failure costs more than agreeing them before.
Spares are a plan, not a favour
Customers who can get a replacement unit are customers who reorder. Spares and after-sales are part of the product, not an exception to it.
What actually decides whether a programme runs clean
What the RFQ asked for
A quotation is only comparable if the questions were the same. Market, volume, certification and packaging are the four that must be in the brief.
Whether anything was signed at the sample stage
The approved sample is the reference for every later dispute. Without it, quality arguments become opinions.
When tooling was started
Tooling runs on its own clock. Starting it in parallel with sampling rather than after the order is the cheapest schedule improvement available.
What the contract says about failure
DOA thresholds, RMA freight and response times are commercial terms. They are far easier to agree while everyone is still being polite.
Where to go from here
Four guides that pick up where this one stops.
Programme execution questions
What should a charger RFQ include?
The device or device list, the power and port requirement, the destination markets, the certification needed, the packaging route, the target volume and the launch date. Omitting the market or the volume makes the quotation impossible to compare.
How should DOA and RMA be handled?
Agree a DOA threshold and a replacement policy in the contract, then keep the return documentation simple. The goal is a defined process with a response time, not a negotiation each time a unit fails.
What warranty period is normal for a charger?
Two years is common in Europe, and consumer law in several markets overrides the contractual term regardless. What matters more is what the warranty covers and who pays the freight.
How do I make a repeat order cheaper?
Keep the same platform and change only the variables that do not require tooling — colour, printing, plug head, packing. Each new tool is a new amortisation, and each reused one is pure margin.
Why does the second batch often slip?
Usually because the line was booked assuming the first batch’s calendar. Production slots are booked weeks ahead, and a reorder placed late competes with everyone else’s schedule.
Send us the brief and we will fill the gaps
Send whatever you have — a device list, a target price, a launch date. We will come back with the RFQ questions to answer, the sampling timeline and the terms worth agreeing early.