A Proposal for
Rosseto Serving Solutions
The goal of this program is not simply to identify or evaluate suppliers. It is to create a China-side extension of your team that drives communication, accountability, follow-up, and supplier performance on a daily basis.
Background
Thank you, this is exactly the picture I needed. The category scale, the supplier situation, and what you are really trying to achieve all come through clearly.
Having looked through everything, I think there is a bigger opportunity here than simply finding a supplier for the induction line. This is exactly the sort of situation where having a dedicated team on the ground in China creates value well beyond a single sourcing project. The bigger opportunity is building a stronger China-side operation across the category, not simply finding one more supplier. This is how I would approach it.
The Objective
The goal of this program is not simply to identify or evaluate suppliers. It is to create a China-side extension of your team that drives communication, accountability, follow-up, and supplier performance on a daily basis.
The communication gaps, slow problem solving, and lack of responsiveness you described are the real issue. Manufacturing capability is only part of the equation. The operational challenge is ensuring suppliers move quickly, issues are driven to resolution, and opportunities are followed through consistently. This program is designed to take that weight off your side and run it on China time.
How We Resource It
The most important point is that you are not engaging a single project manager. You are engaging a dedicated senior account lead backed by a 21 year old infrastructure, including:
You have one senior point of contact, backed by a full department working behind the scenes. That means you never rely on one individual. You gain access to the depth and capability of the wider C2W team whenever it is needed. That breadth is what allows multiple suppliers, multiple categories, and multiple projects to be driven forward in parallel.
Program Structure
I would structure the engagement in two phases, with a review checkpoint between them.
This addresses the first priority you identified: genuine confidence, supported by evidence, that you are working with the best chafing dish and buffet serving equipment partners in China, together with a clear growth strategy for the category.
Against a category running at approximately USD 1M annually, even modest improvements can create significant returns. As an illustration, on a category of around USD 1M annually, even relatively modest improvements in supplier performance, commercial terms, or operational efficiency can return several times the cost of this work. A 3% improvement alone represents approximately USD 30,000 of annual value.
Equally important is the confidence that comes from knowing whether your current supplier base is truly the strongest available option.
The objective is not to replace suppliers for the sake of replacing them. The evaluation may well confirm that your current factories are the strongest long-term partners for the category, in which case the value comes from having objective evidence to support that conclusion. If stronger alternatives exist, you will see them clearly benchmarked and supported by data.
The sprint is two months of hands-on work on China time: direct outreach to shortlisted factories, capability and compliance questionnaires, sample and quote gathering, live pricing, capability, and commercial intelligence gathered from both the wider market and your existing supplier base, and the factory identification work for the induction line. It is the legwork your team does not have the time or the China-side presence to run, done properly.
The sprint is structured across two months, each with a defined output, so you see real progress before the second month is confirmed.
The sprint concentrates the full evaluation depth where the value is greatest today.
the complete evaluation, benchmark, and supplier assessment described above. This is the core of the sprint and where the majority of the work sits.
factory identification and qualification for the drop-in line, folded into the sprint at no additional cost. This is the work we previously discussed, now incorporated into the broader program rather than treated as a separate engagement.
an initial opportunity assessment and a place on the forward category roadmap, with fuller evaluation scoped later if and when it becomes a priority.
Additional categories can be brought in as the program develops. The review checkpoint is the natural point to decide where they fit into the longer-term roadmap.
The work is research, engagement, and remote assessment based. Onsite factory audits are not included within the sprint scope, as they are a separate workstream. Where required, audits can be conducted as a defined add-on at an indicative fee of USD 1,500 per factory, plus travel expenses at cost, scoped and agreed in advance.
By the end of the sprint, Rosseto will have one of two outcomes:
In either case, uncertainty is removed and future sourcing decisions become significantly lower risk.
| Duration | 2 months |
| Monthly fee | USD 6,500 |
| Total sprint investment | USD 13,000 |
| Initial commitment | Month One only (USD 6,500). Month Two confirmed at the month-one review. |
This includes the induction sourcing work we previously discussed, which is now incorporated into the broader sprint rather than being treated as a separate engagement.
The sprint gives both sides the opportunity to validate the working relationship, establish the supplier landscape, identify where support creates the greatest value, and build the right long-term structure based on real activity rather than assumptions. It is the lowest-risk starting point for both sides and the right foundation for everything that follows.
At the conclusion of the sprint, we reassess together. By that stage we will have a much clearer picture of actual activity levels, category priorities, supplier requirements, resource demands, and where ongoing support delivers the greatest return. The ongoing program below represents our current recommendation. The checkpoint allows us to confirm that structure or adjust it based on what we have learned.
Following the sprint, we operate as an extension of your team across chafing dishes, induction products, coffee urns, and future categories as they arise. The monthly program covers:
| Program fee | USD 5,000 per month |
| Commences | After the sprint, confirmed at the review checkpoint |
| Review | Quarterly, to keep scope and structure aligned as priorities evolve |
Quarterly review. To ensure the program remains aligned with actual requirements, we conduct a quarterly review covering activity levels, resource use, category development, value delivered, and scope alignment. Where priorities evolve or the scope changes materially, we review the structure together and agree any adjustments in advance.
Additional Project Work
The monthly program is intended to cover ongoing supplier and category management. Separate project work is scoped and quoted independently as required, including:
Any such work is always agreed in advance. We do not believe in surprise billing.
Manufacturing and Commercial Structure
The retainer and project fees fund the work itself and stand on their own. Manufacturing commercial structures are best determined category by category once the evaluation phase provides visibility into the supplier landscape and opportunity set. Depending on the situation, that may involve:
The commercial structure should follow the opportunity, not dictate it. Once we understand where the real value sits, we can agree the model that makes the most sense for both sides.
Next Steps
If the direction here works for you, I will convert this into a formal agreement with the deliverables, scope, and terms fully specified, and we can schedule the start of the sprint. I am happy to talk any part of it through on a call if that is easier.
Best regards,
Mark Jacobs
CEO, C2W Group / Shield Works
June 2026