Sonde in practice
How Sonde helped a seal manufacturer find an opening in hydropower.
Explore the five stagesFive stages
From an early signal to a confirmed requirement.
Stage 1 of 5 · The signal
The software found a connection worth investigating.
A turbine manufacturer was engineering new runners and wicket gates for a Canadian hydro refurbishment. Sonde connected that work with the manufacturer’s use of oil-free runner hubs on a European project.
For a custom seal manufacturer, that raised a useful question: could a similar design choice affect which seal materials were needed? It gave the supplier a specific reason to approach engineering while the design was taking shape.
Connected by Sonde’s software
Stage 2 of 5 · The way in
The software identified who to approach first, and why.
Sonde mapped the project owner, turbine manufacturer and potential equipment suppliers, identifying who could specify, purchase or approve the seals. It recommended starting with a mechanical design engineer at the turbine manufacturer: someone positioned to understand the application and direct the enquiry internally.
Potential routes into the project
- Project owner
- Buyer
- Approver
- Sponsor
- Turbine manufacturer
- Specifier
- Sponsor
- Buyer
- Approver
- Potential servomotor suppliers
- Buyer
- Specifier
- Recommended first contactMechanical design engineer, potential sponsor / specifier
- Referred toPrincipal turbine engineer
The opening email asked whether an oil-free hub design was being considered and how that might affect seal materials. The engineer forwarded it to the principal turbine engineer, who replied the next day with feedback on the original application and another requirement worth exploring.
The initial enquiry was written in French and English, helping the founder approach a French-speaking engineering contact despite not speaking French himself.
Stage 3 of 5 · The conversation
The engineer identified a requirement worth pursuing.
The principal engineer explained that specialised runner seals were already covered by established suppliers. But he raised another requirement: large-diameter O‑rings, sometimes several metres across, made with properly vulcanised joints. He was interested in whether the manufacturer could supply them.
- Original application
- Runner seals required extensive development and testing. Established specialist suppliers left limited scope for a new entrant.
- Supplier approval
- Standard products went through procurement, with an audit required before joining the supplier list.
- The opening
- The engineer identified a recurring need for large-diameter vulcanised O‑rings and invited further discussion of the manufacturer’s capability.
Stage 4 of 5 · The follow-through
The engineer agreed to evaluate a sample.
The manufacturer confirmed it could produce the vulcanised joints in-house and offered a sample splice for testing. The engineer responded with material, hardness and certification requirements, then confirmed that a straight sample section would be sufficient for evaluation.
He also requested details of the manufacturing process, equipment and dimensional checks. The conversation now had a practical next step: demonstrate that the manufacturer could meet the requirement.
- Supplier’s proposalIn-house production and a sample splice
- Engineering responseMaterial and testing requirements shared
- Agreed next stepSample evaluation
Stage 5 of 5 · The outcome
A confirmed requirement and an invitation to prove the capability.
Within a week of the first approach, the manufacturer had reached a turbine specialist, uncovered a recurring need for large-diameter vulcanised O‑rings and secured agreement to evaluate a sample. The discussion had progressed to specific material requirements and how the manufacturer would demonstrate its capability.
- Internal engineering referral
- Recurring sealing requirement identified
- Technical requirements shared
- Sample evaluation agreed
The next step was to prepare the sample and supporting process information for evaluation. Supplier approval and an order were still ahead.
Sonde connected the project to a possible application and identified a route into engineering. Following that route uncovered a requirement the manufacturer could pursue.
What could this look like for your business?
Get the research and approach for your team to pursue, or have Sonde handle outreach and follow-up towards a meeting or invitation to quote.
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