Show When evaluating suppliers for your products, many companies today are weighing the pros and cons of international versus domestic manufacturing. Many manufacturers may feel that sourcing plastic injection molded products from overseas suppliers provides great cost savings, although many factors can affect a product’s total cost (and cheaper may not always be the best value). On the contrary, a poorly constructed injection mold will cost a lot more in the long run when engineering changes or continual maintenance are required on the tool to produce quality parts. Other factors that distinguish international versus domestic manufacturing can also add costs to overseas suppliers. The following is a summary of the most important factors to consider when evaluating international versus domestic manufacturing. Contact QT Manufacturing to Learn More International Manufacturing – The ProsThe movement to source injection molds and plastic components from overseas suppliers became a trend at least 20 to 30 years ago, with the cost and quality varying greatly from one international supplier to the next. Cost and quality are only two factors to consider when evaluating the pros and cons of international versus domestic manufacturing. Some of the most common factors seen as advantages to outsourcing internationally include:
International Manufacturing – The ConsWhile a low cost is typically the driving factor for sourcing overseas, many other factors can add significant costs to international manufacturing sources. Some of the greatest disadvantages to international suppliers include:
Any or all of these disadvantages can contribute significantly to the cost of overseas production and should be carefully evaluated before choosing to source internationally. Domestic Manufacturing – ProsChoosing a domestic manufacturing supplier brings many benefits that for many companies far outweigh any disadvantages. The benefits to working with a reputable, quality, domestic manufacturer such as QT Manufacturing in Dallas, TX include:
Working with a domestic manufacturer provides these many benefits and advantages, which most often far outweigh any cost savings from international manufacturing suppliers. QT Manufacturing is a domestic manufacturer in the Dallas Fort Worth Texas area, offering high-quality injection mold making, plastic molded products, and CNC machined parts to many industries. We offer more than 30 years of experience in designing, engineering, and constructing high-quality, precision injection molds and providing molded products that meet tight tolerance requirements. We are a valuable supplier to many industries including:
Request a Quote Now QT Manufacturing provides domestic manufacturing solutions with a commitment to high quality as part of our ISO9001:2015 and AS9100D rev D certifications. We offer an experienced team of journeymen mold makers, skilled processing technicians and engineers dedicated to meeting your product specifications and lead times with quality parts, delivered on time. Contact us online to request a free quote or call 972-221-0537 to learn more about the many benefits of QT Manufacturing and domestic manufacturing solutions.
In the past two decades, there has been a dramatic shift by technology product companies to outsource manufacturing to low-cost countries (LCCs) like China, India, and Mexico. This follows a long history of outsourcing to LCCs by consumer product companies. LCCs may offer lower manufacturing costs resulting from cheap labor and perhaps less stringent environmental and workforce regulations. However, there are downsides to manufacturing in LCCs that may erode expected cost savings or create other commercial disadvantages. As these disadvantages become more apparent, many companies are reverting to US contract manufacturers. Here are a few examples: Poor Quality Low Labor Content High Transportation Costs Extended Supply Chain Lack of Control Increased Time-to-Market Loss of Intellectual Property After you evaluate these potential disadvantages to outsourcing your products to low cost countries, you may discover that the total cost of manufacturing in the US is actually lower. Please consider this as you formulate your outsourcing strategy. |