Many customers naturally ask this question after confirming a custom BJJ Gi, rash guard, no-gi shorts, or OEM fightwear order:
When will production start? When can the order be shipped?
This is a very normal question.
But from a factory’s point of view, confirming an order does not mean the production line can start making the products immediately.
Custom products are different from ready-stock products.
Ready-stock products have already been produced and are already in the warehouse. After a customer places an order, the process is usually just picking, packing, and shipping.
Custom production is different.
Custom products usually need to be made according to the customer’s design, quantity, size breakdown, colours, logos, fabric, labels, and packaging requirements.
So before real production begins, there are still several steps that need to be completed.
First, the order details need to be confirmed.
This includes product type, quantity, size ratio, colours, logo placement, design files, labels, and packaging method.
If these details are not confirmed clearly, mistakes can easily happen during production.
For products like rash guards and no-gi shorts, print files, colours, artwork placement, and sizing often need to be confirmed first.
If the design file still has issues, or if the logo placement has not been finally approved, the factory cannot move directly into production.
The next step is preparing the materials.
A factory does not simply receive an order, take any fabric from the warehouse, and start making the product.
Different products need different materials.
For a BJJ Gi, this may include Gi fabric, pants fabric, collar material, tapes, woven labels, embroidery thread, and packaging bags.
For rash guards, this may include stretch fabric, printing, stitching thread, and sometimes silicone grip tape or mesh panel details.
For no-gi shorts, this may include four-way stretch fabric, waistband, drawstring, Velcro, inner mouth guard pocket, and panel construction.
Some materials may already be in stock.
Some materials need to be purchased again.
If the order involves special fabric, special trims, embroidery, woven labels, or printing, the factory also needs to confirm timing with the related suppliers.
If the materials are not ready, even if the production line has time, real production still cannot begin.
The factory also needs to arrange the production schedule.
A factory is not only producing one customer’s order.
Samples, bulk orders, repeat orders, and urgent orders from different customers are all arranged in the production plan.
So after an order is confirmed, the factory needs to schedule it based on material arrival time, production line availability, and order urgency.
It does not mean that if the order is confirmed today, it can automatically start on the production line tomorrow.
This is not a delay. It is part of normal production management.
Some orders also need support from other factories or suppliers.
For example, printing factories, embroidery factories, woven label suppliers, packaging suppliers, and fabric suppliers may all be involved.
If one of these steps is delayed, the whole production timeline can be affected.
That is why the factory also needs to coordinate timing with different suppliers before production starts.
Only after the design is confirmed, materials are ready, and the production schedule is arranged can formal production begin.
Formal production usually includes cutting, printing or embroidery, sewing, finishing, quality checking, and packaging.
After the products are finished, they are not shipped out immediately.
The factory still needs to check the quantity, sizes, colours, logo placement, stitching, surface condition, and packaging.
If any issue is found, it needs to be handled first.
For the customer, finding a problem after receiving the goods is usually more costly and more difficult to fix.
After quality checking is completed, the products can then be packed and prepared for shipping.
For international orders, carton details, weight, shipping method, customs documents, and shipping time also need to be confirmed.
Air freight and sea freight also have different timelines.
So “production finished” does not mean the customer will receive the goods immediately. There is still shipping time after that.
For custom products, the whole process is not just about “starting production.”
From order confirmation to final shipment, the process usually includes:
Order details confirmation
Material preparation
Supplier coordination
Production scheduling
Cutting
Printing or embroidery
Sewing production
Finishing and quality checking
Packing
Shipping arrangement
Each step can affect the final delivery time.
This is why we always suggest customers confirm their design, quantity, sizing, and other details as early and as clearly as possible.
The clearer the details are, the smoother the production process will be.
If the design, colours, sizing, or material requirements are changed repeatedly during the process, the production timeline will also move back.
For a factory, a stable production process is more important than simply trying to be fast.
If a custom product is made incorrectly, the cost of fixing it can be high, and it may also affect the customer’s own sales plan.
That is why we prefer to confirm the details, prepare the materials, and arrange the timing properly before starting production.
This helps make the final products more stable and the delivery process smoother.
If you are preparing a custom BJJ Gi, rash guard, no-gi shorts, or OEM fightwear order, feel free to contact us. We can help confirm the sampling and production process based on your design, quantity, and product requirements.