How To Get Your Product Manufactured For Your Business?
You, as an entrepreneur, have a great product idea, the design is ready, and you are all backed up with financial support. Now, it’s time for you to find a manufacturer that will develop your product for you.
However, many entrepreneurs face difficulties when it comes to outsourcing product manufacturing, especially when you plan to manufacture something of your own.
It sounds like something you will never come across, but a study shows that 75 per cent of startups’ crowdfunding projects collapse because they fail to deliver on time.
Manufacturing is the foundation that will hold your venture together. This post will further talk about finding the best manufacturer for your product development.
Table of Contents
What is a manufacturer?
Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labour, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of the secondary sector of the economy.
The term refers to various activities, from handicrafts to high-tech manufacturing. But, it is most commonly applicable to industrial design, in which raw materials from the primary sector get transformed into finished goods on a large scale.
Finding the right manufacturer for your business can be a bit tricky sometimes. So, here are some tips you can follow to partner up with the manufacturer that fits your business needs.
Research manufacturers
Researching is essential as manufacturers control your product’s cost, quality, packaging, and shipping. They drive your business.
Dive into the sea of options to choose your manufacturer to attain success for your business.
How to carry out the research? Here are some ways you can research a suitable manufacturer for your business.
Directories
Thousands of free manufacturers directories are available online to help you research various manufacturers.
These directories include profiles of thousands of manufacturers with their contact details. Go through the directories and pick out the ones you think deem fit for the production of your product.
Some of the popular directories to search from are:
Overseas directories
Referrals
You can find the tried and tested manufacturers through referrals. Approach your professional network connections and ask them if they have a good manufacturer in their sight.
You can also use social networks to get the word out that you are looking for a professional manufacturer.
Google search
Google has made the searching game easy for us all. You have to type in “Looking for a manufacturer in the UK”, and search results will show you the top manufacturers around the country.
You can go through the first four pages of the search result page to make a list of manufacturers to choose from.
Outreach and collection of information
After doing your research, you have a list of legit manufacturers. The next step is to get a quote from them.
To do so, start quizzing them with questions before committing to their services.
Ask them:
Do you have enough experience in making custom orders?
Tell us more about your skills and resources?
How long will you take to produce and ship the products?
What is your average shipping cost, and does it vary with the type of product manufactured?
Can you grant us exclusivity? (If there is tooling involved, ensure they use it specifically for your product.)
What is your cost per unit?
What is the minimum amount I should order so that you start producing the product?
Do you have a set-up fee?
Learn about their defect policy and quality assurance techniques.
Share your product design
After this QNA session, if you feel the manufacturer fit your terms, you can share your product design with them.
Provide them with all the sketches, instructions, and reference photos. If you don’t have a designer, hire a freelance designer to create your product model.
You can hire freelancers from:
Fiverr, and so on.
Explain the designs thoroughly to the freelancers.
Negotiation
Depending on the product, some manufacturers require a commitment to purchase thousands of units for your first order.
However, based on your limited funds, you can negotiate with them to start with small and test the market before making larger purchases.
You also need to propose the best counter offer that meets your payment terms.
Here are a few tips on how to negotiate.
- Start with good communication to build a better relationship with your manufacturer.
- Understand their business and speak their language.
- Have an informed and intelligent conversation about the proposal.
- The proposal should be mutually beneficial.
Order Samples
Ask for the product sample before they start production. After providing a sample, ensure the product looks great and fits your business needs.
Use samples to assure its quality and get a consistent product.
Here’s the checklist to perform product quality inspection.
- Product requirements: Your product inspection should include investigations that ensure your manufacturer follows the parameters you have agreed upon – weight, dimension, or blend of ingredients.
- Packaging requirements: You will need to consider the packaging requirements. For example, there are standards regarding labelling in the food industry.
Under these standards, labels must accurately represent the products inside the packaging so that consumers are fully informed about what they are eating.
- Material checks: You need to consider the materials you’ll use to produce your product. You are more likely to end up with a subpar product if the materials you are using aren’t of the highest quality.
Check to make sure the initial materials you are using meet the expectations listed.
- Contamination: Consumer safety and product quality can be compromised when contamination occurs.
Contamination in your plant can be prevented with diligent inspection practices. Look for tools that help you identify relevant contaminants.
- Uniformity: All products need to be uniform. It ensures that each item matches its labelling specifications, providing a consistent experience for consumers that keeps them satisfied.
- Defects: Logging any defects you find during your investigation should be part of your checklist. There are many possible defects, such as contamination, underweight or overweight products, issues with the starting materials, or other irregularities.
Using a product quality inspection checklist will remind you of the various steps you need to follow to ensure your output is of the highest quality.
Place your order
If you are satisfied with the final sample product, sign up for the production with the particular manufacturer.
In no time, you can get your product manufacturing started!
Takeaways
In the above process, the production is not simply about outsourcing it to the factory. Investing a lot of time and effort in research and planning will allow you to surpass most startups in quality and delivery time.
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