In This Episode... Renaud and Adrian talk about rapid prototyping and rapid tooling methods to make prototypes a lot faster than production tooling, with a focus on electromechanical products and plastic injection molding. You'll get answers to the following questions: What are rapid prototyping and rapid tooling? What do we discover from different rounds of prototyping? What are the features of hard tooling? What are the pros and cons of the different technologies used for rapid … [Read more...]
How To Qualify A Contract Manufacturer Or Component Supplier? (Best Practices)
In This Episode… We're often asked how to qualify a contract manufacturer or component supplier. In this episode, Renaud explores the best practices importers could follow when sourcing new manufacturers or suppliers in China, or beyond. This includes sourcing options (who to use), the typical sourcing process, if the lowest prices are always best, IP protection, manufacturer types, and CM sourcing tools and steps. The purpose of this episode is to give you the awareness of risks that … [Read more...]
List of 12 Plastic injection mold fabrication companies in China
High-pressure plastic injection molding is one of the most common fabrication processes. Tens of thousands of factories in Ningbo, Shenzhen, and in many other places have at least a few presses running near-continuously. If you develop your own product and it includes some custom plastic parts, you will probably need to invest in a mold. What should you know about this type of tooling, and what plastic injection mold fabrication companies in China can help you? … [Read more...]
Are Quality Inspection Activities Just “Waste”?
In the lean manufacturing philosophy, there is a distinction between 2 types of activities: Value-added operations, generally described as “transformation of the product” or “something a customer is willing to pay for”. For example, when two parts of a garment are sewn together, it creates value. All other operations, which are called “non-value-added” and are often called “waste”. Some of them are necessary in the current situation (with the current level of technology, etc.) or at … [Read more...]
Why Do Importers Need Product Reliability Testing? [Podcast]
Product reliability testing is a must for importers who want to avoid risk... 2020 added considerable strain and difficulty to many importers' lives, so today, more than ever, it's so important to implement measures to protect your business against expensive recalls and lawsuits which may occur if your products don't reach expected reliability, quality, and safety standards. Undertaking thorough product reliability testing during the development and manufacturing stages is one such way to … [Read more...]
Pricing, Negotiation, Contracts | Vetting Chinese Suppliers (Part 10)
Getting quotations is a part of vetting new Chinese suppliers, too. We have been creating a mini-series guiding you through effective vetting of Chinese suppliers that will help you to find the best possible manufacturer for your products this year, and, as we come to the end of it, it's time to focus on one of the final stages: negotiating price, getting quotations, and signing contracts (listen back to the entire mini-series on vetting Chinese suppliers here 👍). Let's assume you have … [Read more...]