The outsourcing of plastic injection molding has
become very commonplace, but it is not always as successful as hoped
for. The strategic planning of your offshore outsourcing will make all
the difference in your attempt to gain new business and develop new
products.
Here are some of the successful plans global companies
are using that really work. By utilizing these ideas, as they fit your
unique needs, you can develop a strategy to not only survive in today's
extremely competitive international market, but thrive.
Those
companies that are flexible and willing to adapt, often discover that
entering into the global market reveals new opportunities for growth
and profit. Global technology is a reality that can be used to your
advantage.
Combine domestic and global technology to win contracts
Very
often, plastic injection molding contracts are presented as a
"package." This can vary in it's size and structure, but for our
purposes, let's use the following example:
Your molding or mold
making company has an opportunity to bid on a new product that requires
the building of eight plastic injection molds. You already know that
other companies are bidding on the job, and they use offshore
outsourcing to lower their costs.
Because you have wisely found
several reliable, high quality offshore suppliers for injection molds,
you are able to combine your resources to effectively quote the job.
You can win in the global market by being flexible and using proven
strategies.
Finding such an offshore source can be time-consuming
and expensive, if you take it up on your own. The companies listed on
this site are all known for their integrity, high-quality and pricing.
A very effective strategy
After
a close examination of each job and how it fits in with the overall
package, you determine that you will break up the eight molds as
follows:
-
Keep the complicated work in-house
-
Send the simple, less risky work offshore
-
Split up the rest by deadline and level of expertise required. Send the
easy part of the remaining difficult work offshore, such as simple
cores and cavities, and manufacture the difficult parts in-house.
How does this benefit your company?
-
Spreads your risk out
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You develop a working relationship with your offshore suppliers and work out the communication bugs and technical bugs.
-
You save approximately 35%
-
You can get more work done without hiring additional staff that you probably couldn't find anyway!
"You know Dad, I've been thinkin', one is a lot more than zero!" my son, Thomas, age 5.