As the future of plastic has been reliant on innovation, some business practices are universal. Finding plastic parts manufacturers relies on a few basic business principles, including an exchange of value you can offer the manufacturer.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when selecting a manufacturer.
Reputation Matters
As a business owner or stakeholder, you know the importance of building a good reputation. Your reputation can be measured by several different factors and so can the reputation of a plastic parts manufacturer.
Look at the organization’s ethics, their overall financial performance, how their leadership and management run the show, and focus on the customer. Beyond that, you can consider the reliability and quality of their products. You’ll find a robust word of mouth ready to talk about any company that has failed to meet expectations.
A positive reputation will convince companies like yours to work alongside a parts manufacturer. While you have your own specific needs, the reviews of others can be a useful guideline.
Your reputation relies on the reputation of the people and partners you work with. Beyond just maintaining your reputation, your partners should help to elevate you.
If a parts manufacturer is slow in producing the parts that you need, it’s going to be a struggle to fulfill your orders. Issues come up and that should be understandable so long as you get an adequate amount of feedback from your manufacturer. Lack of communication in their reviews should be a red flag.
Price Isn’t Everything
Low-priced manufacturers of parts can help you lower your bottom line. This is vital to keeping your company profitable and to ensure that you can grow when you need to. However, lowering your bottom line with less expensive parts can bring several other negative impacts.
A low price tag and a promise of a fast turnaround should be eyed with skepticism. There are reasonable costs that come with manufacturing plastic parts. While some manufacturers are going to try to outpace their competition, there’s a floor from where any drop in the price will mean a drop in quality.
Low-priced manufacturers are going to offer other incentives like another discount for higher quantities, they won’t ever put themselves in a position to close. This means they’ll cut corners in other ways. Those cut corners could trickle down to you.
Another issue about lower prices is that if the business drops too low, they could end up closing down. A plastic parts manufacturer that closes down could throw your whole company out of whack. If you lose a vital manufacturer in your workflow, it could take a while to find a replacement, putting your business in jeopardy in the process.
Price and Value Are Two Different Things
Price and value aren’t interchangeable. A winter jacket that will only last one year but is only $50 is less valuable than a $250 that lasts 10 years. However, that initial sticker price might seem attractive.
Minimize your expenses but never at the cost of lower the quality of your product offerings. Parts manufacturers shouldn’t use the carrot of price when the stick will be a loss of value. Make sure that the incentives they offer have to do with value.
You’re paying for more than the cost of the part. You’re paying someone to make it. You’re also paying for someone to inspect it.
This combination of moving parts is what makes for a better manufacturer. Mass production is important but never at the loss of value.
Get Some Samples
Before you commit to working with any parts manufacturer, you need to get some samples in your hand. Feeling the quality and weight of parts before you purchase them is a valuable part of the process. If you order based on images alone, you might end up with a high quantity of parts that can’t be used.
If you’ve been in the business for a while, you’ll know as soon as you touch a plastic part whether or not it’s quality. While you should always perform stress testing, it doesn’t take much time to tell that the part is going to add value to your company.
If you’re new to the process, get an expert of a colleague to look at your parts. They should be able to offer some insight into how good the parts you’re looking at are.
Any company worth its salt will appreciate the meaning of a long term contract with you. This means they should be willing to make a small sample of your design to show you what they can do. Expect only a small production fee at most but many manufacturers should provide this at no cost.
Find a Collaborator
Any business with a plan to stick around for the future should be building relationships with their partner. While your first project together might be a flop, if it’s not, you’ll be looking to them for future projects. After that, you’re going to be reliant on one another for your long-term interests.
Your partnership is an investment for both parties. Over time, you’ll help one another out to assure your mutual success. This cost-free benefit is valuable for a growing business.
No Two Plastic Parts Manufacturers Are Equal
While there are a lot of players in the world of manufacturing, no two plastic parts manufacturers are going to offer the same quality. Make sure you get what you need from your partner by being discerning from day one.
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