Many importers know that China is one of the world’s leading mold producing countries, and its mold industry accounts for about one-third of global output value. It may be the best choice to source a reliable injection molds manufacturer to assist them to develop and produce cost-effective products.
However, most importers including some of our clients usually have confronted with three questions when they’re sourcing.
I have been in the mold industry for 20 years, in today’s post, I will tell you some important knowledge about China’s mold industry that you have never known. Keep reading, I bet you’ll get answers to above questions.
1. What kind of mold manufacturers in China?
Generally, the current mold manufacturers in China are roughly divided into two categories:
The pros and cons for foreign-funded & HK & Taiwan-funded companies
The foreign-fund & HK & Taiwan-funded companies have standardized management, sound processes, strong service awareness and guaranteed product quality. Corresponding to these are expensive costs of management, selling and marketing. The cost of mold development will be increased accordingly.
They will be a good choice for you if you have strong financial capabilities. However, their quotations are usually consistent with the international market. For example, their quotation for a large set of precision automotive molds usually will be hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars, which is difficult for many small businesses to afford.
The pros and cons of local mold manufacturers
Most of them are the first batch of foreign company technicians who entered into the mold industry first: high technical level and production management experience of foreign-funded enterprises.
Their biggest advantage is the relatively low indirect costs of management, marketing and selling expenses and etc. Quotations are usually much lower than the international market. They not only can maintain the price-performance ratio, but also can provide excellent service and high-quality molds. Therefore, this type of mold manufacturers is more able to attract Small-Medium businesses’ attention.
I also remember in 2018, one of our British clients spent a lot of time negotiating with a major manufacturer for his new project. But in the end the order was rejected as the MOQ and delivery time problem, even though they spent a lot of time negotiating with them. Just when it made him very upset, he got our contact information on LinkedIn. After nice communication, we accepted the order and finished it with high quality. And so far, he had placed four times bulk orders with us.
2. Will the large-scale manufacturers be suitable for your company?
There’s no doubt that the large-scale manufacturers have a lot of advantages, but more and more importers prefer to cooperate with Small-Medium manufacturers.
Firstly, Small-Medium manufacturers can provide highly cost-effective manufacturing services.
Secondly, they have complete production equipment, such as precision CNC machine tools, wire walking machine tools, EDM, injection molding machines and etc.
Lastly, most Small-Medium manufacturers have a professional foreign trade team.
Now, you are supposed to have some ideas about the Chinese plastic injection molds manufacturer. In the end, Let me share with you the last question you care about.
(1) Their founder or manager has a high technical background.
(2) Complete production equipment: precision CNC machining center, slow wire cutting, EDM mirror spark machine, high-speed and high-precision injection molding machine, and other important equipment for mold processing, production and testing.
(3) Abundant foreign market: Foreign market orders occupy at least 40% of all production orders.
(4) Complete and stable production line and experienced mold design engineers.
(5) Have own injection production department. Not only can meet clients’ injection molding needs, but also can test and modify the molds efficiently.
(6) Have your design’s similar product development experience. Choose the professional one you will get better quotations and services.
(7) Molds and moldings are at a reasonable price. As saying goes: you get what you pay for. Low price is often hidden behind some traps that are not known to us as any molding supplier has to pay rent, utilities and labor cost.
Now, I want to hear from you
I’m a local Chinese mold manufacturer with more than 20 years of experience. Here, I would like to share my precious experience for you. Although my written English is not very native, I hope you can benefit a lot from my blog.
Have you ever made molds from China? Where did you find the manufacturers? Alibaba or recommend by friends?
Or what problems did you encounter when developing your own product? Could you share them with us?
We have more than ten years of experience serving the Japanese, European and American markets, and also have close cooperation with some well-known International Brands like Bandai, Hasbro and so on. Feel free to contact us any time, I would like to reply your questions and help your business.
Injection moulding is used to make parts for millions of products around the world, from packaging to vehicle parts to Maxview’s own range of 4G/5G antennas and many individual parts for our satellite systems and TV aerials.
If your business is looking for an injection moulding partner in China, it can be tricky to know where and how to find one. Here, we’ll explore all the reasons to seek an injection moulding partner in China, and what you need to look for.
Injection moulding is one of the most used processes for manufacturing and shaping plastics. It’s a cost effective way to mass produce the parts you need for your products, ensuring excellent quality and identical measurements every time.
But creating a bespoke plastic injection mould can be extremely expensive, especially if you need a complex tool. That’s why many companies outsource their injection moulding needs to specialist companies in China.
Injection moulding costs include:
Most businesses find that injection moulding has a high start-up cost, but over time the investment pays off, as the ongoing moulding expenses are relatively low.
Power box enclosureChinese injection moulding companies generally offer lower prices per part than companies in the UK. However, you’ll also need to factor in export/shipping costs to determine if it’s cost effective to get parts injection moulded by a Chinese manufacturer and shipped to the UK.
At Maxview, we partner with Connexions, an injection moulding company based in China. They design the product in advance, then price their products based on the required material, size, and product complexity. There may be opportunities to share containers to reduce costs.
In general, it depends on the number of parts you need. With 3D printing, the price per part is usually stable — so if you only need a few items, 3D printing may be cheaper.
However, if you need parts in bulk, it’s often cheaper to get them injection moulded. Injection moulding becomes more cost effective the more parts you order.
Massage gun casingThere are lots of reasons to find a Chinese injection moulding supplier for your UK business:
Not all companies will want to turn to Chinese manufacturers for plastic injection moulded parts.
While we at Maxview believe that these reasons are mitigated by using our long-trusted partner, Connexions, some reasons for preferring to source parts in the UK or Europe can include:
Some of these objections can be managed by finding the right supplier. Working with a company that’s committed to quality and employs English-speaking staff will ensure you get excellent injection moulded parts from China.
Maxview has been supplying the UK market for 60 years, with 30 of them using injection moulded parts from Connexions. We can attest to their communication effectiveness and quality control, detailed more in the next section.
There are thousands of injection moulding companies in China, though not all of them manufacture the moulds themselves. Some are traders, meaning they’ll pay for another company to make the moulds, then sell them on to you at a premium.
Connexions is a reliable injection moulding manufacturer that produces a large range of moulds using hydraulic pressure, plastic pressure and cavity pressure. From 20cm part moulds to 1m car moulds, each part is customised according to the customer’s needs.
Connexions also has robust quality assurance processes in place to make sure all companies receive excellent quality and service. They have achieved ISO 9001-2015, and follow strict quality control procedures. These include:
If you’re looking for a cost effective way to get parts for your plastic product, finding a reliable injection moulding partner in China may be the right option for your business.
Despite the higher shipping costs, many UK companies find that importing plastic moulded parts from China works out much cheaper than doing it in the UK or another western country.
To learn more about requesting injection moulding from Connexions, contact [email protected].
Here is an example of what an injection moulding process looks like with Connexions in China, melted plastic is being pumped into a “tool” which is a template of the shape that you want to produce. The finished parts are then inspected for quality.
Occasionally the tools need to be maintained/repaired after a lot of use, this is just a normal part of the quality assurance process:
Learn more about Maxview’s injection moulding supplier in these frequently asked questions.
Maxview, a UK-based manufacturer of products for motorhomes and caravans, and King Connect, a USA-based manufacturer of the same products for the RV market in America, have been working with Connexions for 30 years, and fully endorse them for any injection moulding ventures.
Send high quality photos of the sample to the manufacturer for evaluation. From this, they can determine whether they can produce the part, at which point they’ll request the physical sample to be sent to them. They can then create the drawing accordingly and make a sample for your approval.
Yes. With more than 20 years’ experience, Connexions has a complete design team that can develop the mould you need.
Lead times depend on mould sizing, cavity numbers, and shot period, among other factors. Please let the manufacturer know if you’re working to a specific timeframe, and they’ll make every effort to meet this requirement.
You should also be aware of Chinese national holidays and their impact on shipping. Chinese New Year, Golden Week, and Dragon Boat Festival can all increase lead times, so make sure to plan accordingly.
Shipping costs depend on how many containers you need, their size, and the export/import location. Find out approximate shipping costs from China here.
The first sample will be made as soon as the mould has been created. It will normally reach you 3-5 days after it’s been sent.
Different products have different MOQs, but they mostly start from 1,000 pieces per order.