Opportunities
A client recently had me source a new Chinese supply chain for injection-molded plastics. In this series I’ll explain how we were able to go from having no contacts in China to successfully receiving quotes from several injection-mold manufacturers. There are many steps to building a supply chain for a product, including design, transport & logistics, due diligence and negotiation. Today, we’ll focus on finding the manufacturers. 1. Start Early And Build Your First Supplier List Plan on spending at least a month identifying your best manufacturing partner, and several more months finalizing designs, fabricating molds and beginning the manufacturing process. It can be daunting to start with nothing when you are trying to establish relationships leading to a successful manufacturing partnership. At first, any manufacturer you find seems like your only hope. That’s why I recommend starting out by building a list of 10 suppliers with whom you can communicate direc...