A client change after the first batch is produced is not a design revision; it is an inventory, tooling, and approval problem. Flexible stone veneer is made to a colour formula and a pattern mold, and the first batch is already a physical commitment. The question is not whether the client can change, but what happens to the material already made, what has to be re-approved, and who pays for the reset. This guide gives a decision sequence for the four common cases: change before production, change during production, change after production but before shipment, and change after delivery.
What is different about a colour or pattern change on flexible stone?
Flexible stone veneer is a manufactured composite, not a quarried slab. The visible colour comes from a pigment recipe applied through a digital printing process, and the relief comes from a physical mold. That means a “simple colour change” touches at least two production inputs, and a pattern change may touch a third.
There are three different changes, and they reset different things. A colour change is a new pigment recipe and a new colour development cycle, typically 7 days for a custom match. A pattern change is a new print file and possibly a new mold, which is a longer reset and may carry tooling cost. A thickness or construction change is a different product: it can change weight, bend radius, and the approved installation detail, so it needs a fresh technical review, not just a new sample. When the old and new colours are compared, do it under a daylight-correlated source such as D65; the 国際照明委員会（CIE） publishes the illuminant standards behind that comparison.
The first batch is not “wrong” when the client changes the reference. It matches the sample that was approved. The change creates a second requirement, and the old material becomes inventory with a decision attached to it. That distinction keeps the conversation commercial rather than personal.
One asset helps in every case: the colour formula and the mold are retained. At JMS Decor, molds and colour formulas are held free of charge for five years, and reorders on them carry no new tooling cost. That retention is what makes it possible to revert to the old colour later, or to produce a matching second batch if the client changes their mind again.
What should I confirm in writing before doing anything?
Put the change request in writing before you stop a line, scrap a pallet, or promise a new date. The note should answer six questions: what is changing (colour, pattern, thickness, or a combination), which reference is the new target (Pantone number, pattern code, or physical sample), how much material is affected, where that material is in the process (raw material, in production, finished, packed, or shipped), who has authority to approve the change, and what should happen to the first batch.
Attach the original approval trail: the signed sample or first-article record, the purchase order line, and the approved colour or pattern code. If the original approval was verbal, write down what you understood and ask the client to confirm it before the change proceeds. A change made against a vague original reference is a dispute waiting to happen.
Do not accept a change by phone and relay it to the factory as an instruction. The factory needs a written reference and a revised PO line; the client needs to see the cost and schedule impact before approving. The written request is the document that protects both sides.
What are the options for the first batch?
The first batch is usually still usable, but not always by the client who changed the requirement. The options, in order of preference, are:
| Option | When it works | What to confirm |
|---|---|---|
| Client accepts it as originally approved | The change applies to a later phase or a different area | Written acceptance and the areas where the first batch will be used |
| Use it on another project or area | The colour or pattern is still saleable elsewhere | Quantity, batch record, and the new destination |
| Sell it as a second colour or SKU | The distributor has a market for both versions | Pricing and labelling are the distributor’s decision |
| Rework or recolour | The factory confirms the surface can be re-finished without damaging the backing | Technical feasibility, yield, and a new approval sample |
| Hold or store | The client expects to use it later | Storage conditions, duration, and who pays for storage |
| Scrap | No use, no resale, and no technical route to rework | Disposal cost and the client’s written instruction |
The cheapest option is usually the one that keeps the material in use, even if it is not in the original location. The most expensive option is scrapping a batch that could have been used on a secondary wall. Ask the client which option they are choosing before the factory changes anything.
What has to be re-approved for the new colour or pattern?
A new colour needs a new physical sample and a new first-article record. The old FAI does not cover the new recipe, and the old COA does not describe the new batch. Plan for the 7-day custom colour development, then the sample approval, then the first article, before bulk production starts.
A new pattern needs a new print file and, if the relief changes, a new mold. The mold is a tooling item; confirm the cost and the lead time before the client approves the change. If the new pattern is a variant of the old one, the factory may be able to reuse the existing mold and change only the print file, which is faster and cheaper.
For a project, the change also flows into the submittal and the mock-up. The approved submittal package describes a specific pattern, thickness, and batch; a new colour means a revised product data sheet, a new sample, and possibly a revised mock-up. The customization and OEM process explains how a custom colour or pattern is commissioned, and the batch consistency check shows how to verify the new batch against the new reference.
How do I re-plan the schedule and the PO?
The change resets the colour and production clock. A custom colour takes about 7 days to develop, and a first bulk order takes 15–20 working days after the deposit and the written approval. A repeat order on a retained formula and mold is shorter, at 10–15 working days, but it still needs a new sample approval if the reference has changed.
Update the purchase order with the new reference, the new quantity, the disposition of the first batch, the revised milestones, and the revised payment schedule. If the project has a fixed installation date, decide early whether to split the shipment: the old batch can cover the first phase while the new batch is produced, or the new batch can travel by air freight if the date cannot move. Do not compress the inspection or the adhesive cure to recover the schedule; those are the stages that produce callbacks.
If the change happens after the goods are packed but before shipment, confirm whether the container can be held at the factory. Holding a loaded container may be cheaper than shipping the wrong material and replacing it at the destination, but the storage and demurrage cost has to be agreed. The 仕入ガイド をご覧ください cover the sourcing side of this decision.
Who pays for the change?
The contract should answer this before the change happens. As a working rule, a change requested by the client after approval is a client cost: the first batch was produced to the approved reference, and the new development is a new requirement. If the supplier misread an approved reference or shipped the wrong material, the supplier bears the correction. If the change is caused by a drawing revision from the project, the party responsible for the revision bears it.
Whatever the principle, write the numbers and the responsibilities into the change order before production restarts. The change order should list the old batch disposition, the new development cost, the new sample and first-article cost, the revised delivery date, and the payment terms. A verbal agreement to “sort it out later” is how a small change becomes a large dispute.
The residual value of the first batch matters. If it can be used on another area, sold as a second colour, or held for a future phase, the net cost of the change is lower. Ask the client and the distributor to confirm the disposition in writing before the factory scraps or reworks anything.
How do I prevent the next change from becoming a crisis?
Lock the approval before production. The approved sample should be a physical panel from the production process, signed by both parties, with the pattern code, thickness band, and colour reference recorded. A Pantone number alone is not an approval; it is a target. The フレキシブルストーンベニア製品群 gives the pattern families, but the project approval has to name the exact code.
Define a change window in the PO: the date after which a colour or pattern change becomes a new order, and the date by which the client must approve the sample. Put the approval deadline and the production start date in the same table so the client can see the consequence of a late decision.
Keep the formula and mold record. The five-year retention means a client who reverts to the original colour can reorder it, and a distributor who wants a second colour can keep both versions alive. That record is also the evidence that the first batch was made to the approved reference, which is the basis for the cost conversation.
FAQ
Can I change the colour after paying the deposit?
Yes, but the schedule and the cost reset. The 7-day colour development, the sample approval, and the first-article approval happen again, and the first batch has to be dispositioned. Get the change in writing before production restarts.
Is the first batch useless after a colour change?
Not necessarily. It may be usable on another area or project, sellable as a second colour, or technically reworkable. Scrapping is the last option, not the first.
Do I need a new sample for a new colour?
Yes. The old FAI covers the old recipe, not the new one. A new physical sample and a new first-article record are the evidence that the new colour is what the client approved.
Does the five-year formula retention help if the client changes their mind again?
Yes. The retained formula and mold allow a reorder of the original colour, or a matching batch if the client reverts. It does not make the first batch disappear, but it keeps the original version producible.
Who pays for the change?
It depends on the contract and the cause. A client-requested change after approval is normally a client cost; a supplier error is normally a supplier cost. Write the responsibility into the change order before the work restarts.
