What are some questions to ask before buying a mold in China?
Can you make a product that can meet my production requirements?
Can you achieve tight tolerances?
How many machines do you have?
Are you working with an experienced and professional team?
Do you provide prototyping services?
Do you have high-cavitation molds?
Whether you’re a private individual running a startup or a large industry dependent on OEM plastic injection-molded tools, you need to make sure that you’re partnering with the right molding company in China. There are certain questions to ask before buying a mold in China that can help you identify if you’re collaborating with the right company.
One thing you should prioritize is that you should be able to choose a company that can meet a number of your requirements. Not only will they help in providing you a mold that achieves tight tolerances, but they can also bring you the best outcomes when it comes to operational efficiency, practicality, and high-volume needs.
With all of these in mind, you have to know what you’re looking for in a plastic injection company. Before buying a mold, understand if that company is capable of meeting your production requirements, has the right machinery to perform the job, provides a range of prototyping services, and the like. Continue reading to learn more.
The first question you should ask before you choose a company that can supply you with an injection mold is if they have the capabilities to meet your production volume requirements.
Of course, you’ll get different answers depending on the industry you belong to. If your business is focused on the distribution of consumer goods, such as beverages or packed cosmetics, you need a reliable mold manufacturer that can perform production levels that reach a billion metric tons or more, each year.
Alternatively, if your business is involved in the manufacture of larger equipment, such as automotive parts or heavy machinery, see to it that your mold-maker in China can consistently dedicate their efforts to producing high-quality molds of these products.
When you have already conceptualized your mold, you’ll likely have an idea of the dimensions of each part and component. As much as possible, when you have your idea actualized into a plastic injection-molded product, you want the final outcome to be as close to the prototype, or the concept, as possible.
To make sure that you buy a mold that has all of these standards, ask your molding company if they can achieve tight tolerances in their manufacturing processes. Typical injection molding companies usually set a threshold of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) tolerance of +/— 0.005 inches. Likewise, they should also be able to accommodate tighter tolerances, as specified by your molding requirements.
The quality and type of equipment that your chosen mold manufacturer has, are just as important as their experience in the industry. As such, you have to choose a company that uses different types of equipment at varying capacities.
One of the factors affecting the size of injection molded parts is the platen size. Ask if your company’s machines can support different mold thicknesses, fast injection molding rate, resin variety, and heavy plastic weight.
To know the best machines available for your mold needs, choose a company that houses multiple units of equipment. For example, they may have a single unit for their 2100-TON equipment, but for smaller molds, their facility may also house 8 units of a 150-TON machine, 6 units of a 90-TON machine, and the like.
Years of experience and professionalism are two other things to look for in your mold supplier. As much as possible, you’ll want to choose a company that has more than a decade of experience behind them. They should have adequate knowledge not just when it comes to injection molding, but also in prototyping and manufacturing of different products. Every tool and equipment used in their production processes should be constantly maintained, updated for new developments, and quality-assured to come up with high-grade injection mold products.
If you’re conceptualizing the next big plastic product in the market, you want to make sure that it functions according to your intentions. This is why many mold-making companies also invest in rapid prototyping, wherein the customer will get a concrete mold of the product, make refinements or modify it to correct any defects.
Ask if your mold manufacturer also conducts rapid prototyping for their injection mold processes. Prototyping is a low-cost and practical alternative compared to tool-making because the materials are relatively available. You can also request your manufacturer to have a similar end-product reverse-engineered to see what you can learn from your competitors in improving your mold design.
Although injection molding is a simple process, the lead time may vary on the type of mold. If your business values efficiency, especially in the production of multiple molds in a single-shot, then you need to ask your mold maker if their machines have support for high-cavitation molds.
High-cavitation molds are ideal if you belong to healthcare, biopharmaceutical, food & beverage, or any industry that relies on high-precision production of multiple molds all at once. Ensure that your mold maker can guarantee quality even in single-shot moldings.
In this guide, we’ve outlined six questions to ask before buying a mold in China. You have to find out if your mold manufacturer can supply you with high-quality molds at a short turnaround time.
More than just that, they should be implementing all the latest equipment and technology to achieve high-precision products, no matter for low-cavity or high-cavity molds. Finally, with an available prototyping service, your molding company in China can guarantee that the product you’ll end up with is suitable to be distributed to the wider market and end-users.
Looking for a high-quality mold maker in China? Richfields Plastic has answers to all of your questions. Click here to view a list of their products and services. You may also contact them to request a quote or to find more information about mold making.
Chinese product sourcing is popular with many professionals in the field of procurement. Do you know why? Because it is the country that sells more manufactured goods than any other country! China is often called the world’s factory due to its strong and huge manufacturing sectors.
For this article, we will discuss what China Sourcing is. We will check how sourcing in China can be best for businesses. Also, we will share some tips when sourcing goods or services in China. Furthermore, we will present some of the best sourcing entities in China.
Once you finish reading this article, you will have a deeper understanding of how to source products in China. You will know how to analyze which supplier is good to be a business partner. Additionally, this type of sourcing will allow you to save more to develop your company’s future.
What is China Sourcing?
Many of us know what sourcing means. It is the act of searching for a supplier that can deliver the best goods or services for a company.
It involves finding quality goods and services for the best possible price. Therefore, if we connect it with China, we will get the main idea of China sourcing.
China sourcing is the act of searching for a supplier in China to acquire goods or services. It is not surprising that many professionals source in China due to its low costs.
Sourcing in China is the best decision if the organization wants to reduce costs when it comes to acquiring materials.
China offers low-cost materials which are why it is very popular in the trade industry. However, language barriers and some business practices can be challenging for foreign buyers.
When this happens, foreign buyers would seek help from a sourcing agent or agency in China. This makes their life easy because they do not need to personally negotiate anymore with the Chinese suppliers or manufacturers.
Should you use a Sourcing Agent?
When you start to buy in China, the first thing that will come into your mind is, “can I manage this myself?”
Of course, it is valid to be scared of sourcing in China as you do not have any idea how to start. But do not worry, we are here for you!
The table below are the advantages and disadvantages that can help you decide if you want to employ a sourcing agent:
Advantages
Sourcing agents in China have a vast network that you can use.
Sourcing agents have mastered the art of negotiation which can help you when communicating with the supplier.
The organization will be able to break the language barrier through
Disadvantages
When you are employing a sourcing agent, there is a high risk of secret commissions.
Sourcing agents have more control over the relationship with suppliers.
Sourcing agents may switch suppliers without you knowing if it benefits them more.
Reasons why you Should Consider Sourcing in China
1. High-quality of products
There is a myth about Chinese products being fragile enough that it does not last for a long time. This is the reason why many people think that Chinese products are not of good quality.
However, this is far from the truth. Many professionals have already found different suppliers in China that offer high-quality products. The suppliers will deliver the expected quality of materials to the organization at a reasonable price.
2. Wide supplier options
China is known for its wide array of factories and industries working in numerous different cities. It is one of the largest countries that have many manufacturers.
Due to this, you can choose from different suppliers that will give you the best value for your money. The same is true that you can select from different manufacturers if you are going to get your product manufactured.
3. Labor costs are low
Labor costs are one of the factors that determine the selling price of a product. As China has the biggest population in the world, it is common to find labor at a low cost.
When you source in China, you can find skilled laborers at low prices. Even if you are away, you do not have to worry about the money you have spent. The sourcing agent or agency that you employed will take care of everything for you.
Tips When Sourcing China
1. Look for the right suppliers
In every sourcing process, you must first find the right supplier. You need to look for the right suppliers who understand all your needs and requirements.
There is no good or bad supplier, it all comes down to your decision of which supplier is suitable for you.
2. Verify the Supplier
The last thing that an organization would like to incur is procurement fraud when finding suppliers. To verify suppliers, the organization must ask for its credentials to check their reliability.
In addition, the organization must take note of the supplier’s experience in the manufacturing of products. The organization must look if the supplier can offer the proper range of products.
The organization can also ask the previous clients of the supplier to verify if it has done well with its responsibility.
3. Ask for Samples
Before the organization places its order, it must first ask for a sample of products. The samples that you will check will enable you to decide if you will order or not. The samples will tell you if it suits the quality and requirement that you expect.
4. Communicate always with your supplier
When sourcing in China, The organization must consider that there are language and cultural barriers to overcome. Even if the supplier can provide English-speaking customer services, many issues can be traced down due to communication errors.
Of course, communication errors are unintentional. However, the organization must take note of this to avoid delays and costly mistakes.
5. Quality control inspections
Even if you already have an agreement with the supplier, you must not be complacent. You will always need to conduct quality inspections to ensure that it meets your expectations.
Mistakes to Avoid When Sourcing in China
1. Failure to develop a good sourcing strategy
A good sourcing strategy is important when sourcing from China. Being able to know all the transactions will lessen the risk of delays and overspending.
Therefore, it is important to build defined goals and requirements for every transaction.
2. Not ordering product samples
We often hear that action speaks louder than words. The same is true that the organization should not believe that everything that they will deliver is perfect.
This allows the manufacturers to familiarize themselves with the requirements of the organization.
3. Focus only on pricing
Price should not always be the factor when sourcing in China. The emphasis on costs can take away the focus on building the products of the organization.
Of course, low-balling suppliers are not good if you intend to have a good relationship with the buyer. You must take into consideration that the low price should not affect the quality of the materials.
At the end of the day, the organization must remember that if the price is too good to be true, then it is.
4. Not hiring a sourcing agent
It is okay not to hire sourcing agents if you are familiar with how to source your materials in China. However, if you do not know where to start, then it is a must to hire one.
You should not try sourcing in China just because you think you can. You should know that it takes a level of experience and skills to successfully transact in China.