manufacturing in china

[hungrytiger86]

im getting a proto type produced for a new product in the UK but i wanted the mass production to be done in china... i have researched a fwe things and it works out cheaper i guess... although anyone got any ideas about getting the best sort of contacts from there....
(apart from actually going there)

regards

 

The general consensus is that you can't do business long range with China. If you don't want to go there then find someone in UK who does and make sure you are happy with them. Then they will find your manufacturer for you.

Throwing in an aside. Have you considered using Viet Nam? They are excellent for anything requiring a bit of flair . (This is not an offer as I have no plans to go there myself just now)

 

[BeautyScientist]

Do you have to go to China? Your post suggests the only reason is that it is cheaper over there. Have you tested that idea? The most recent comparison I have done for a shortish run the UK quote and the Chinese quote were identical to within a penny per unit.

Factor in the risk of currency swings and the UK might even be a better bet.

 

[Mister B]

As the previous post suggests, always worth dual costing to make sure that the venture is viable

However, dependent on both the complexity of design and value of the order, I would be looking to go out to Asia myself. I would probably find three or four factories from sites such as www.hktdc.com or www.globalsources.com , get some protos made and then go out and see what they're like. Not only will you benefit from the experience but you will also appear more credible in the eyes of the manufacturer.

Don't to forget to factor in other costs such as QC inspections when doing your final costings. As others have said, you could look at other Asian countries but in my experience, the savings made on the FOB price do not warrant the additional cost of sourcing.

Good luck with it.

Mister B

 

[red-source]

Drop me a PM if you wish. I have 10+ years experience with importing from China and have agents and factories all lined up in place. If nothing else, if you wish to send Me your details of the product I could atleast send it to my factory and give you a ball park figure of tooling / piece prices. What sort of item is it ?

 

[PhilBen]

im getting a proto type produced for a new product in the UK but i wanted the mass production to be done in china... i have researched a fwe things and it works out cheaper i guess... although anyone got any ideas about getting the best sort of contacts from there....
(apart from actually going there)

regards

I ve got a lot of clients that source from China. I do think you would have to go over there as they do.

 

[taltul]

hi there,

We are a multinational company that enables customers to reach a competitive advantage and maximize profitability by sourcing and importing from China. We provide a value added service by accomplishing low cost, yet maintain high quality and minimum risk at the same time.

We offer a number of services relating to sourcing and importing from China, such as sourcing products, components, materials, and semi-finished products from China. In addition, Helios Developments Ltd. delivers quality control and inspection services as well as project management and manufacturing. A comprehensive list of our services can be found on our website.

Let me know if you find it interesting.

Regards

 

[Ador pets]

Drop me a PM if you wish. I have 10+ years experience with importing from China and have agents and factories all lined up in place. If nothing else, if you wish to send Me your details of the product I could atleast send it to my factory and give you a ball park figure of tooling / piece prices. What sort of item is it ?

I would ask Mr.Red-source a question,how you find a reliable supplier in China,via B2B platform like Alibaba or Google search engine?
Thank you!

 

[CJSteele]

I would reiterate the need for getting quotes from both Chinese and local suppliers. I would also suggest you consider a few quotes China to get a good comparison. Like BeautyScientist said, sometimes it's cheaper to stay local (especially with currency fluctuations and the hassle of transporting). However as MisterB said, Asia is often cheaper.

Contacts are the tricky issue when you are dealing with China. They are not that easy to find. I am in China and I meet suppliers all the time asking the opposite question. I am still trying to work out why it doesn't work. I think it is because Alibaba, MadeInChina and TardeKey dominate the Google search results. The smaller guys who can help you just can't get the ranking.

Thus we have the question for Ador_pets. A lot of the suppliers that I am guessing you would be after can be found on Alibaba. They have a site hosted by Alibaba. The thing is you can't search for them by the description of your product. You do it by describing the methods used to make your products: injection moulding, machining, assembly etc. Type that in to the search and you will have an excess of hits. The issue is that they don't do a very good job of explaining themselves. They are are more trades people than advertisers.

The end effect is that they are difficult to gauge. Therefore, you need to contact them and get to know them. This is why you hear people saying that you need to visit.

It looks like you have some good offers there for contacts. I suggest you try them.

If that doesn't work then I would suggest you send off a well documented RFQ to a few of the suppliers that you have found on Alibaba. You can get a good feel for a company based upon how they respond. If you find some suppliers that show potential, then you might want to visit them first; probably a good idea.

Alternatively, you can get someone in China to talk to them for you. There are few companies over there that will do that for you. They can check out quality methods and capability. They can act as proxy for you too.

Once your proxy screens the first lot you select you can then go over and meet with the factories that were found to be best.

Good luck with it all, Hungrytiger86.

 

[Paul Kelly ICHYB]

hungrytiger,

The previous comments are all valid, however, not every product is cheaper from China. Also, if you cant order volume, the delivered price my not show any real advantage.

What type of product is it?

Depending on the product, getting a local price will give you a realistic benchmark. It will also give you a base cost to work with, to enable calculation of selling prices. Then, start looking at Asian suppliers. Globalsources is a good place to start, but nothing beats face to face contact - trade shows are the best way to initially get this going.

If you need more help, let me know.

regards,

Paul

 

[Ador pets]

I would reiterate the need for getting quotes from both Chinese and local suppliers. I would also suggest you consider a few quotes China to get a good comparison. Like BeautyScientist said, sometimes it's cheaper to stay local (especially with currency fluctuations and the hassle of transporting). However as MisterB said, Asia is often cheaper.

Contacts are the tricky issue when you are dealing with China. They are not that easy to find. I am in China and I meet suppliers all the time asking the opposite question. I am still trying to work out why it doesn't work. I think it is because Alibaba, MadeInChina and TardeKey dominate the Google search results. The smaller guys who can help you just can't get the ranking.

Thus we have the question for Ador_pets. A lot of the suppliers that I am guessing you would be after can be found on Alibaba. They have a site hosted by Alibaba. The thing is you can't search for them by the description of your product. You do it by describing the methods used to make your products: injection moulding, machining, assembly etc. Type that in to the search and you will have an excess of hits. The issue is that they don't do a very good job of explaining themselves. They are are more trades people than advertisers.

The end effect is that they are difficult to gauge. Therefore, you need to contact them and get to know them. This is why you hear people saying that you need to visit.

It looks like you have some good offers there for contacts. I suggest you try them.

If that doesn't work then I would suggest you send off a well documented RFQ to a few of the suppliers that you have found on Alibaba. You can get a good feel for a company based upon how they respond. If you find some suppliers that show potential, then you might want to visit them first; probably a good idea.

Alternatively, you can get someone in China to talk to them for you. There are few companies over there that will do that for you. They can check out quality methods and capability. They can act as proxy for you too.

Once your proxy screens the first lot you select you can then go over and meet with the factories that were found to be best.

Good luck with it all, Hungrytiger86.

A big Thank you to CJSteele!!Your reply make me know what we should do as a Chinese supplier and your views on alibaba.As I am a supplier in Guangzhou China, lately we want to start e-commerce,so i am here to check how buyers find suppliers and buyers' view about B2B platform.
Your answer helps me a lot and let me know what we should pay more attention to.
By the way,where are you in China?