1What do I need before sourcing factories?
Whichever country you are sourcing factories in, you will want to have a product design package to share with a manufacturer. This may include CAD drawings, product samples or prototypes, a bill of materials, patterns, or other information. The kind of information you present will depend on the type of product you’re planning to manufacture. Whether the factory speaks Chinese, English, or another language, this information allows the factory personnel to quickly understand your product via the drawings, knowledge, and numerical data you’re providing them.
2What should be included in my design package?
The design package is a collection of information designed to provide another factory or supplier of some kind, all of the information necessary to understand and produce your product. It is essential you specify in detail as much information about your product as you can. This is particularly important for foreign manufacturers in countries like China. They may speak English as a second language, but communicating in drawings, numbers, and samples will help a lot more.
3What should I look for in a sourcing and manufacturing consultant?
Choosing a manufacturing or sourcing consultant has both benefits and costs. It’s important to talk openly about them both so that you have all the information you need.
4What are the Benefits?
Consultants can provide you with expertise in managing and improving your sourcing and manufacturing process. They can make design recommendations, material recommendations, and help you organize your efforts to ensure you source and communicate with factories as efficiently as possible.
Consultants can provide qualified factory and service provider relationships. They should offer the ability to connect you into their network of existing factory relationships as well as help you source and qualify new potential suppliers in a manner that is much more efficient than what you could perform on your own
The Costs?
Consulting companies can charge on an hourly, fixed fee, and commission basis. A start-up entrepreneur needs to be sure the consulting company can deliver on the benefits and make the costs worth it. A sourcing and manufacturing company should be able to save you money overall.
5What is the general process?
The general process of sourcing and manufacturing differ between products and project. However, as you become more familiar with the sequence of events, you will gain feedback that allows you to adjust your plan.
6Should I manufacture domestically or abroad?
There is no one-size-fits-all approach. Each company should make this decision based on their own needs. Countries like China, India, and Vietnam offer access to cheaper labor, and in the case of China, robust infrastructure, and one of the largest manufacturing bases in the world.
The United States has many benefits that can also be highly valuable. For example, manufacturing times are shorter and the quality may be better. From a strategic standpoint, these advantages can be significant for companies that must respond quickly to demand fluctuations.
7My Company is domestic and only sells its products at home, but I'm looking for a manufacturer outside my home country, can UTIIS help?
UTIIS can help your company locate the best and most cost-efficient manufacturers to help you produce the products you sell in your home country. We have an extensive global network of manufacturing companies that we can thoroughly qualify.
