When looking for the best plastic manufacturer, ROI is obviously important. However, ROI isn’t just the cost of the goods. ROI includes the total cost of production.
This includes the cost in man-hours to source the right factory as well as the time it took to ensure the product was manufactured, tested, and inspected to your specifications.
If you try to find the best plastic manufacturer yourself the total cost may also include the man-hours it took to resolve any issues that always seem to come up at the worst times. There are thousands of Chinese plastic manufacturers to choose from but not all can show proof of their claim they can provide quality plastic products. If you have a need to work with quality plastic manufacturers in China you don’t have to overwhelm yourself in the search – our experts at ITI Manufacturing can get it done.
What to Look For in a Plastic Manufacturer
There are plastic manufacturers worldwide. Taking everything into consideration the most “bang for your injection molding buck” is still China. The good factories there have the experience, the expertise, and the competitive pricing that makes China plastic manufacturers the go to choice. Finding those that are reliable and will deliver high quality work at reasonable prices are out there but they are hard to find.
The question is how can you know what you need to know about a factory and how they conduct their business? Even if they display plastic items on their website or have convinced you they have previously produced certain plastic items how do you know that particular plastic manufacturer can produce YOUR unique item successfully? Do referrals always work out? How do you know the items on their website were produced by them and the molds to create those items will be made by the same mold makers as the beautiful items you see? You don’t. There is no way for you to know anything substantive about any particular plastic manufacturer and their way of doing business until after you have purchased the mold (or at least put down a sizeable deposit), the mold is made, and the first samples are examined. Then it’s too late…you are committed.
There are a couple of ways to go about finding the best plastic manufacturer. Referral is always one way to go. Another is to fly to China and visit factories, ask a lot of questions, and pay close attention to their responses. A third way is to work through a proven, full-service China manufacturing facilitator like ITI Manufacturing. ITI not only thoroughly vets all factories they guarantee the factory chosen will be able to successfully mold and produce your plastic item to your specifications and satisfaction.
But what if they don’t? Let’s take an unlikely scenario but one that clearly illustrates one of the benefits of working with a company like ITI Manufacturing. If, for whatever reason, a factory is not able to make an acceptable sample, any tooling deposit you paid will be fully refunded and put towards the deposit of a different factory. What you want to take away from this unlikely scenario is that ITI Manufacturing, not you, will do all of the leg work.
Also, ITI Manufacturing’s China staff, not you, will source the new factory. Finally, ITI Manufacturing, not you, will handle the tooling refund and the application of that refund to the new factory and still stand behind the 2nd factory just as they did the first. Instead of you taking time out of your already too busy day running your business to do all of this ITI Manufacturing is working on your behalf.
Important details to know are a factory’s MOQ or “minimum order quantity” for your particular product or item, the type of plastic required and any special additive you may require. Knowing the MOQ will allow you to understand why the quantities on the quote you receive may not exactly match the quantities you requested in your initial quote request. Keep in mind there is a production MOQ and a materials MOQ. The materials MOQ is the minimum purchase of raw materials the factory can purchase from their supplier.
If, for example, the production run is smaller than the materials MOQ you may be required to pay a deposit to cover the overage material that will not be used in this particular production run. The material will be saved at the factory and used on the subsequent production run. ITI will see to it that you are credited that overage amount against the final cost.
China plastic manufacturers should provide prototypes and samples for you to inspect prior to producing the contracted production quantity. This allows you to inspect and give needed feedback. Estimated ship dates (from the factory) is another detail that companies like ITI Manufacturing can nail down. Before placing the PO or issuing any funds you should know your total, landed price, your fee/payment structure (when payments are due and the exact amounts due), MOQ details, confirmation that production will land exactly where you’re expecting it to land, the details of the item (including any packaging!), ship dates from the factory, and estimated landing timeframe.
ITI Manufacturing represents you in China. We smooth and expedite sourcing your next item and guarantee it will be manufactured, tested and inspected to your needs just like we have been doing for our many clients for over 40 years. If you are considering outsourcing your production, you can rely on us.
Speak with a China manufacturing expert today!
