A development audit for footwear that's costing you margin
FOB creeping up, returns climbing, a factory that stopped listening, a calendar that keeps slipping. We find where the problem actually lives and give you a ranked plan to fix it.
- Best for
- Brands already selling footwear
- Scope
- Fixed, agreed up front
- Output
- Findings and a ranked action plan
- Led by
- Me, Iiley Thompson Sr.
A footwear development audit is a senior review of an existing line's cost, quality, fit, calendar, and factory relationship. It compares what you're paying and getting against what the product should cost and how it should perform, then ranks the fixes by impact and risk.
Five places margin and quality leak
| Area | What we look at | Typical finding |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Costing breakdowns, material yields, component counts, tooling amortization | Cost built into materials and components the customer never sees |
| Quality | Return reasons, defect reports, inspection standards, bonding and material tests | Inspection standards that are vague or not enforced |
| Fit | Lasts, grading, fit complaints by size | A last or grading issue showing up as returns in certain sizes |
| Calendar | Development timelines, approval delays, sample round counts | Late decisions on the brand side pushing the whole season |
| Factory | Specialization, capacity, communication, contracts, tooling ownership | A factory that isn't built for your construction |
Cost-down without a worse shoe
Cost reduction is easy if you don't care about the product. The skill is cutting cost where the customer will never notice: material yield, component consolidation, shared tooling, smarter construction, better order planning, and an honest costing conversation with the factory.
In outdoor footwear, the usual places to look are leather yield, membrane and insulation specs that exceed what the use calls for, and outsoles that could be shared across styles. I've worked on costing in every role I've held, from adidas to Under Armour to Huk.
What you receive
- A written findings report, by area
- Cost opportunities by style, with the quality risk of each
- Root causes behind returns and defects
- A ranked action plan: quick wins, next season, and longer moves
- A working session to walk your team through it
Audit questions
What do you need from us for an audit?
Costing sheets, tech packs, return and defect data, inspection reports, your development calendar, and samples of the styles in question. We'll also want a conversation with whoever manages the factory relationship.
Will an audit damage our factory relationship?
It shouldn't. Most of the work happens on your side of the table, and when we talk to the factory it's to understand, not accuse. Good factories respond well to a clear, specific costing conversation.
What happens after the audit?
Some teams take the plan and run it themselves. Others keep us on to lead the changes, from re-costing and re-sampling to a factory transfer if one is needed.
Tell us what you're building.
Share the brand, the category, and where you are today. If it's a fit, you'll talk directly with me. We're glad to sign your NDA before the first call.
- Phone
- (615) 229-6265
- Based
- Cannon County, Tennessee
- Factories
- United States and Asia