CASE STUDY · KEY ACCOUNT
2 Years to Win Johnson Electric
Johnson Electric is one of the world's largest automotive motor manufacturers. They didn't need another magnet supplier. Our CEO spent two years proving we were worth the switch.
2 Years
Of Persistence
3
Factory Re-Qualifications
Tier 1
Approved Supplier
THE CHALLENGE
Breaking Into a Company That Doesn't Need You
Johnson Electric produces over 3 million motors per month across automotive, industrial, and consumer applications. They have established supply chains, approved vendor lists, and a qualification process that takes most suppliers 12–18 months to pass — if they pass at all.
When our CEO Connie first reached out to Johnson Electric, she didn't wait for an introduction or a trade show meeting. She picked up the phone and called. The first call went nowhere. So did the second. And the third. She kept calling until she got through to a key decision-maker and secured a meeting. Most suppliers would have given up after the first rejection. Connie didn't.
The problem wasn't that Mainrich lacked capability. The problem was proving it. Johnson Electric's qualification standards are among the strictest in the motor industry — dimensional tolerances, magnetic consistency, coating adhesion, and environmental testing all had to pass at automotive-grade thresholds. Every factory in the supply chain had to be audited and approved individually.
THE APPROACH
Every Time They Raised the Bar, We Found a Way to Clear It
Connie treated the Johnson Electric account not as a sales target, but as a two-year engineering project. The approach was systematic: understand exactly what they needed, invest in the infrastructure to deliver it, and prove reliability through action — not promises.
When Johnson Electric said our Zhongshan factory's cleanroom didn't meet their contamination standards, we upgraded it. When they questioned our inspection equipment, we invested in new gaussmeters and dimensional testing rigs that matched their in-house specs. When they wanted traceability from raw material to finished part, we built a batch tracking system that met their IATF 16949 requirements.
The 2-Year Journey
Q1 2016 — The Cold Calls
Connie cold-calls Johnson Electric. Rejected. Calls again. Rejected again. Keeps calling until she reaches a key decision-maker in procurement and secures a face-to-face meeting.
Q3 2016 — Sample Submission #1
Connie submits unsolicited samples matching one of Johnson Electric's existing SKUs — arc segments for a DC motor application. Testing reveals dimensional consistency is good, but coating adhesion fails their salt spray test. Back to the drawing board.
Q1 2017 — Factory Upgrades
We invest in upgraded coating lines, new NiCuNi plating equipment, and hire additional QC staff. Cleanroom standards upgraded to match Johnson Electric's contamination requirements.
Q2 2017 — Sample Submission #2
Resubmitted samples pass all mechanical and magnetic tests. Coating clears 500-hour salt spray. Johnson Electric agrees to a factory audit — the first real sign of progress.
Q4 2017 — Factory Audit & Corrective Actions
Audit reveals 12 corrective action items across traceability, environmental controls, and inspection procedures. Each one is addressed within 60 days. Re-audit passes with zero findings.
Q1 2018 — Approved Supplier
Mainrich is added to Johnson Electric's approved vendor list. First production order: 50,000 arc segments for an automotive seat motor application.
WHAT IT TOOK
Investments Made Before the First Order
Factory Upgrades
New NiCuNi coating lines, upgraded cleanroom standards, and additional CNC grinding capacity — all invested before Johnson Electric placed a single order.
Quality Systems
Full batch traceability system, IATF 16949 compliance, and new inspection equipment matching Johnson Electric's in-house specifications.
3 Factory Audits
Each audit produced corrective actions. Each corrective action was resolved within 60 days. Zero excuses, zero delays.
12+ Visits
Connie personally visited Johnson Electric's offices over a dozen times across two years — not to sell, but to understand their requirements and demonstrate commitment.
THE RESULT
From Rejected to Tier 1 Supplier
That first 50,000-piece order was the beginning. Within 12 months, Mainrich was supplying multiple SKUs across Johnson Electric's automotive motor division — arc segments, ring magnets, and custom assemblies.
The relationship proved that Mainrich could meet automotive-grade quality standards consistently, at scale, and with the reliability that a company like Johnson Electric demands. It also proved something else: that the right supplier is the one who invests in the relationship before the first purchase order.
2 Years
From first meeting to first PO
Tier 1
Approved supplier status
Multi-SKU
Ongoing supply relationship
“They didn't offer anything we couldn't find elsewhere. What they did was refuse to give up — every time we raised the bar, they found a way to clear it. That's the kind of supplier you want in your corner when production demands escalate.”— Procurement, Johnson Electric
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