Custom sourcing projects.

When a project needs custom sourcing

Most of what we source fits cleanly into components, modules, or finished products. Custom sourcing is for the projects that don't — where the value of the engagement is finding or commissioning something non-obvious, not placing a standard order.

Typical custom sourcing scenarios

• Obsolete or end-of-life parts — an IC the manufacturer discontinued, a form-factor battery no one seems to make anymore, a specific motor that the original vendor no longer supplies.
• Cross-reference and replacement — finding a pin-compatible or function-compatible alternative to a part that's out of stock, discontinued, or sanctioned.
• ODM product development — you have a product idea, you need a factory who can take it from concept to production, with the electronics engineering done in-factory.
• Private-label with customization — finished product runs that go beyond rebranding into firmware changes, material substitutions, or feature-level customization.
• Tooling and mold sourcing — custom plastics, custom cases, custom heat sinks — where the tooling is a significant up-front investment.
• Small-batch specialty orders — 50 units of something unusual, where most factories won't quote because the quantity is below their floor.

How custom sourcing engagements work

Custom projects start with a longer conversation than a standard order. We usually ask for:

• A description of what you need, with as much specificity as you can provide (photos, datasheets, reference parts, drawings)
• The end application, so we can assess which trade-offs matter and which don't
• Rough quantities and budget — custom work at 50 units is a different conversation from custom work at 50,000
• Your timeline, and any deadlines that can't move

From that, we come back with an initial assessment: whether the sourcing is feasible, which supplier types we'd approach, a rough price and lead-time range, and the sample/prototype path to de-risk the full order.

Honesty about what we don't do

Custom sourcing has limits. We'll tell you honestly when a request is outside what we can deliver well:

• We don't do cutting-edge semiconductor design. If you need a custom silicon chip, a fabless design house is the right partner.
• We don't do large-scale industrial equipment procurement. Turbines, commercial HVAC, industrial robots — those have specialist channels we don't compete with.
• We're cautious with dual-use or export-controlled items. Sanctions compliance matters and we walk away from any engagement that's unclear.
• We don't replicate IP-protected products. If your "custom" project is essentially cloning a branded design, we're not the supplier for that.

Sample-first, always

For every custom project, we build the commercial structure around a sample-first approach. You get a sample (or prototype, or pilot run — depending on the project stage) before committing to full production. The cost of the sample is small relative to discovering a problem at 10,000 units.