You may have a question: I have a great design, and it prototypes need to be made. What do I need to do to make it work perfectly? Or another question: My project needs a reliable, consistent manufacturer to help me make the parts I want, what do I need to work on?
Before you can address these questions, you need to consider how do you go about finding a supplier? How much does it cost to build a prototype? How protected is your design? And so on.
I will use my knowledge and experience to try to answer you.
3 ways to contact the manufacturer in China
Before that, it’s a good idea to try to get manufacturing services from a manufacturer in your area. A manufacturer that you can keep an eye on the progress of your project and communicate with in a timely manner can make your project run more smoothly.
But you can have more options, this is an era of economic globalization, so manufacturers in surrounding areas or even neighboring countries can serve you.
If you want to choose a cost-effective manufacturer, I would recommend you to try your luck in China. As a world manufacturing center, it has thousands of factories that are unmatched in any part that needs to be customized. This is something that will save you a lot of time searching for the right manufacturer – after all, it will be far less difficult to find water in the ocean than in the desert. And Chinese manufacturing has a price advantage over developed countries like the US or UK.
1. Using Internet to Search
Using the Internet and channels like Alibaba to post and search for information is a good option for you to find the corresponding manufacturer and establish contact. Please note that the best option is to communicate with them by the most traditional emails, trying to describe the details of your project is the basis for them to provide you with better service.
2. Attending exhibitions
Attending various exhibitions to find your suppliers is also a very good choice, you can communicate with them face to face and discuss your needs, and initially assess their services and manufacturing capabilities. Of course, during the pandemic, there will be some risk in attending the exhibition.
3. Through an experienced person’s referral
First, you should make sure that the referred manufacturer already has a good working relationship with the referrer. You can determine if it is suitable for you by the projects they have exchanged between them. Cost, delivery time, communication details, etc. are all things that can be used as a judgment.
If you have found several target suppliers through the above, please pay attention to the close communication with them for your project. Here it takes some time to grind with them, each supplier has different advantages, and you can determine which supplier you need to help you for which project through quotation and trial order. Of course, I believe you will find a quality manufacturer that you can work with tacitly.
What costs should you consider when choosing a manufacturer?
1. Communication and time costs.
During project design, you may have spent a lot of time discussing options and working out details. So during the manufacturing phase you want to save time and get the prototype manufactured as soon as possible. So during the communication phase with the manufacturer, please try to let them know the details and uses of your design. A quality manufacturer will propose multiple options for DFM and cost reduction based on your product, which can save a lot of communication time.
In addition to this, describe your requirements as clearly as possible. For example, you need a black look, but black includes matte black, glossy black, and various shades. If you do not specify your requirements, it will be difficult for the manufacturer to provide you with a product that satisfies you, which, of course, will occupy the communication time of both parties. Moreover, repeated trials will raise the cost a lot.
Describe your design and requirements, drawings and details to your manufacturer as much as possible, which will make your project completed sooner.
2. Production costs
We all know that the price of a prototype is much higher than the price of a finished product, so make sure you have the optimal design and manufacturing solution and determine the manufacturing specifications, considering various requirements: materials, surface finish, dimensional tolerances, etc., before mass producing the product.
Also, in terms of cost savings on prototypes, a quality manufacturer will provide you with a range of options based on their proven team and years of experience that will save you money and time while maintaining product quality. If your manufacturer asks you a lot of questions about your prototype and makes a lot of suggestions for improvement, then congratulations on finding a manufacturer who is truly willing to add value to you. They are willing to spend time on your prototype to make suggestions and communicate efficiently, not just to quote. This will avoid surprises and save you a lot of money in all the projects you work on together.
3. Manufacturer Costs
A manufacturer needs a period of time to determine if it is a quality manufacturer worth working with.
In the early stages of finding your partner, you need to avoid some middlemen to complete your project because they will send your project information to multiple manufacturers and you don’t want your product to be copied before it is released, which can be costly. If you find a manufacturer you think is a good fit, ask them to show their certifications and factory profile and sign an NDA before working with them. If necessary, make a site visit to their factory.
conclusion
A manufacturer should be with punctuality, the ability of cost control, flexible manufacturing options and advice. For example, if your project is urgent but the manufacturer cannot schedule your project for manufacturing ahead of time, then this would be bad news.A quality manufacturer can be approximated as your company’s manufacturing department, and with a long-term stable cooperation, you can completely save off a lot of time and cost to focus on your product, which is certainly an assistant to help you and your company grow.
If you are confused about how to find a quality manufacturer.
Please allow me to introduce WayKen. As a professional rapid manufacturer, WayKen’s mission is to help clients produce the best Visual Design Models, Full-functional Engineering Prototypes or Low volume production runs that allow them to thoroughly prove their designs and help them focus on the key elements of product development. We welcome your inquiries at any time.