Winning OEM Vendor Shortlists for an Automation Components Supplier
A manufacturer of industrial automation components — sensors, actuators, and control panel sub-assemblies — supplying Indian OEMs, targeting North American industrial equipment manufacturers for the first time. The client's name and logo are published only with written permission — until then, this case is kept descriptive rather than named.
- Industry
- Engineering & Industrial Automation
- Target Market
- North America
- Services Used
- Buyer Development
- 6 North American OEMs entered formal vendor evaluation
- 45% increase in RFQ submissions through the technical intake form
- 1 design-for-manufacture partnership signed with a mid-size OEM
The Challenge
North American OEM procurement teams run formal vendor shortlisting processes that require specific technical and quality documentation upfront — the client's site offered none of it. No differentiation from generic "contract manufacturer" positioning that made it hard to be taken seriously by engineering-led buyers. Zero visibility for the technical, spec-driven search terms North American design engineers actually use when sourcing components.
Our Approach
Built a vendor-qualification hub with quality certifications, testing capability, production capacity, and reference specifications. Repositioned messaging around engineering credibility — design-for-manufacture support and prototyping turnaround — rather than generic manufacturing capacity. Developed technical content targeting spec-driven search terms (e.g. component tolerances, certifications, materials) used during vendor sourcing. Added a technical RFQ intake form allowing engineers to upload drawings directly instead of routing through a generic sales enquiry.
The Outcome
Repositioning around engineering credibility — backed by a vendor-qualification hub with the documentation OEM procurement teams actually ask for — moved the client from being filtered out at the RFQ stage to entering formal vendor evaluation with multiple North American OEMs, including one signed design-for-manufacture partnership.
“We stopped being filtered out at the RFQ stage the moment our documentation matched what their engineers expected.”
— Export Sales Lead, Automation Components ManufacturerWant a Pipeline Like This for Your Product?
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