We started by comparing unit price between regions. That was the wrong question. The difference between a factory in Portugal and one in the Baltics is a few tens of kronor per garment. The difference in lead time is weeks, and weeks are the one thing we cannot buy more of.
Counting backwards
The launch sits 5 to 12 November. The goods have to be in stock by the end of October. That means shipment from the factory by 24 November the year before for production in Asia, or late August for Europe. Counted forwards from today it fits, but only just.
The scarves are the critical path. A woven scarf with a hand-knotted fringe cannot be rushed in the final step, and that one operation pulls the order deadline about four weeks forward compared with what the calculation showed when we counted on garments in general.
| Region | Minimum order per style | Freight lead time | Duty |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Baltics | Around 100 | 1 to 2 days by road | 0 percent |
| Poland | 300 to 500 | 1 to 2 days by road | 0 percent |
| Portugal | 150 to 300 | 3 to 5 days | 0 percent |
| Colombia | Varies | 25 to 35 days by sea | Applies |
August does not exist in Portugal
Portuguese garment manufacturing closes for much of August. We sent our first enquiry in August and got an answer in September, which cost us three weeks we had counted on. It was a mistake written in every handbook we had read, and we made it anyway.
- Send the enquiry before July, not during August.
- Ask for lead time in weeks before price per unit.
- Ask what happens if the sample is rejected, and count in an extra round.
- Confirm the shipping date in writing, not the production date.
Sources
- Sourcing och inköp, kapitel 8. FRANS ANDRÉ, internt underlag, 2026-08-05.
- Projektplan och tidslinje, kapitel 14. FRANS ANDRÉ, internt underlag, 2026-08-05.