Screen print, embroidery, direct-to-film, print on demand and laser engraving all run in our own building.
In-house manufacturing capabilities
| Capability | Annual volume |
|---|---|
| Screen printing | Over 1,500,000 imprints annually |
| Embroidery | Over 500,000 imprints annually |
| Direct to film | Over 1,000,000 imprints annually |
| Laser engraving | Varies |
Since you opened this page we have decorated 24 pieces across our manufacturing centers.
Product development services
In-house team
Idea to finished product
A product development team inside the building, taking a program from an idea to a finished, produced item.
New art creation
Creative
Original artwork developed for the program rather than adapted from what already exists.
Item selection and design
Sourcing
Choosing the garment or hard good the decoration will live on, which is as much of the decision as the decoration itself.
Mock-ups
Approval
A visual before a commitment, so an approval is given against something real.
Promotional
- Charter member of the largest buying group in the industry, alongside the top 40 manufacturers.
- That membership gives us access to competitive pricing and priority service.
- We are one of a select few companies beta-testing a print-on-demand program for hard goods.
- Over 3,500 vendor relationships.
- All major brands.
Global sourcing
We have worked with several of our key factory partners for more than 40 years, on relationships built on mutual trust, transparency and a shared commitment to quality. Those partnerships are what have let us keep delivering through changing market conditions and global supply chain disruption.
Factory partners are evaluated on quality standards, capacity, ethical sourcing practices, social compliance and financial stability. Agents monitor factory operations to ensure adherence to our expectations for quality and responsible manufacturing.
Quality management
- Artwork approval prior to production.
- Incoming product quantity inspections.
- Receiving inspections on arrival at our facility.
- Receiving inspections on transfer into the manufacturing area.
- In-process quality and quantity checks at the machine level.
- Post-production quality and quantity inspections.
- Final shipment inspections.
- Decoration verification and brand compliance reviews.
For every decorated item an art proof goes to the buyer for approval before production, covering artwork, logo placement, colors and decoration method. For custom overseas-produced items we require a pre-production sample approved by Pilot before full-scale manufacturing; for many domestic items we can provide an approval sample as well.
If a manufacturing partner fails to meet our quality expectations, corrective actions are implemented immediately. Where performance issues cannot be resolved, we move production to an alternative partner that can consistently meet the standard.
We avoid third-party providers wherever possible and do as much as we can in house. Those we do use undergo qualification reviews covering financial stability, production capability, social compliance, quality systems and service history, with ongoing scorecards and periodic audits.