Finding a reliable manufacturer is a crucial step toward taking your product from vision to reality. Learn more about how to find manufacturers and some mistakes to avoid to ensure your products are made with the precision they deserve. 

3-Step Planning Checklist

Before you try to find a manufacturer for your product, follow this quick three-step checklist to set your search up for success.

1. Understand Suppliers vs. Manufacturers

While often used interchangeably, suppliers and manufacturers aren’t exactly the same. Manufacturers are a specific group within the broader supplier category.

Since both serve similar purposes — helping you make or provide your product — they’re often grouped together. Here’s a quick breakdown of the types of suppliers, including manufacturers:

• Manufacturers: These companies develop products from raw materials, often in factories. 
• Wholesalers: Wholesalers purchase products in bulk from factories to resell.
• Trading Companies: While similar to wholesalers, trading companies typically deal in smaller quantities, and work with a wider variety of products. 
• Dropshipping Companies: In addition to producing or sourcing products, dropshippers store products, get them ready for shipping, and handle product delivery. 

Finding a supplier or manufacturer for your product helps you meet customer demand, and ensure product quality, and you might have more than one partner. For example, you might work with a plastics manufacturer to hold your product, and a cardboard box manufacturer to package your product for shipping.

2. Decide Between Domestic and Overseas Manufacturing

Overseas manufacturing typically offers lower costs and higher-volume orders, and domestic manufacturers often provide better lead times, shipping costs, supply chain resilience, and quality control standards. 

Working with a domestic manufacturer can boost your company’s reputation, especially among individuals who care about environmental sustainability, adherence to stricter labor laws, and ethical material sourcing. To put things in perspective, 76% of consumers would discontinue relationships with companies that mistreat employees, communities, and the environment. 

Keep in mind that domestic manufacturing doesn’t always equal sustainable, and overseas manufacturing doesn’t always mean unsustainable. Assessing each company’s environmental and social policies is the best way to find the right fit.

3. Research Regulatory Compliance for Your Products

Your manufacturer must meet standards relevant to your industry. Here are some examples of United States-specific regulations to be familiar with, depending on your industry:

• Health and Beauty Products: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may require manufacturers to run toxicology testing on cosmetics.
• Pharmaceuticals and Nutraceuticals: These products are subject to FDA regulations and must adhere to Good Manufacturing Practice guidelines.
• Food and Beverage Products: Besides FDA regulations, food and beverage products must comply with Consumer Product Safety Commission guidelines.

Compliance with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is also necessary for ensuring product safety and quality. For example, ISO 9001:2015 is a globally recognized standard for quality management, and ISO 14001:2015 is the standard organizations use to improve their environmental performance.

How to Find Product Manufacturers

With your research and planning in mind, here’s how to find a manufacturing company for your product.

1. Create a Shortlist of Companies

While search engines offer a good starting point for helping you find manufacturers, you can also try the following strategies: 

• North American Industry Classification (NAIC) Codes: Businesses in North America are classified according to the NAIC system. Identifying the NAIC codes for your product is a great way to find manufacturers.
• Manufacturer Directories: Get information about thousands of manufacturers using a manufacturing directory, such as Thomasnet for U.S. manufacturing, and AliExpress for overseas manufacturing. 
• Forums and Social Media: Platforms like Reddit, LinkedIn, and Facebook can help you start conversations with other businesses.

Once you have a long list of potential manufacturers, make it shorter by assessing their reputations. Here’s how: 

• Look up manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada on the Better Business Bureau. 
• Check for excessive spelling and grammar errors on the manufacturer’s website. 
• Make sure you can find a business address and phone number.
• Review the business’s social media profiles. 
• Verify the manufacturer’s business license. 
• Check online reviews and testimonials. 

2. Schedule a Facilities Tour

If your list contains local manufacturers, schedule a tour of their facilities to observe their operations. Give details on the number of people who will attend, your availability, and what you hope to get out of the visit. Then, during the tour, observe the facility’s cleanliness, verify they have the equipment needed to manufacture your product, and ask questions about safety. A video call will likely work for faraway or overseas manufacturers.

3. Request and Compare Quotes

Compare quotes from two to three manufacturers, and ask for information about:

• Minimum order quantities (MOQs). 
• Prices per unit. 
• Turnaround times. 
• Payment terms. 

Remember that the initial quote isn’t necessarily the final cost, especially if you’re working with an overseas manufacturer or a wholesaler. Hidden costs may include tooling expenses for custom molds, international shipping costs, and currency exchange rates. 

4. Get Granular

After receiving quotes from each manufacturer on your shortlist, gather more specific information about their operations, including:

• How responsive they are to client needs and questions.
• Whether they can handle custom orders.
• What their sustainability policies are.
• If they have procedures for defects and incorrect items. 

You can also ask about exclusivity — whether the supplier will allow other clients to use what they create for your business. Some companies also offer value-added services, including product assembly, labeling, packaging and shipping options, client workshops, project management, and onshoring.

5. Order Product Samples and Send Feedback

Requesting samples from multiple manufacturers allows you to compare item quality, delivery speed, and overall customer service. You can also see whether the manufacturer precisely follows your specs or takes any liberties with the product’s design. To ensure the manufacturer understands your needs and challenges, you can invite them to your facility before requesting a sample. 

After sending feedback, solidifying the design, and finally choosing a manufacturer, keep the final sample for quality assurance down the line. 

6. Negotiate Terms

While negotiation can be intimidating, negotiating payment terms and MOQs is all part of the process. After finalizing the negotiation, have a lawyer review your contract before you sign. From there, you’re ready to start making orders.

Mistakes to Avoid When Finding a Manufacturer

Amid the excitement of finally producing your product, it’s easy to make mistakes. Here are common pitfalls to avoid as you research manufacturing partners:

• Not clearly explaining your needs to the manufacturer
• Choosing a manufacturer that does not align with your company’s mission or sustainability goals
• Prioritizing price over product quality
• Moving through the process too quickly
• Relying on too few manufacturers
• Basing your decision solely on online information 

When you do your due diligence to find a dependable partner, you’ll enjoy benefits like consistent product quality, improved production efficiency, and reliable lead times.

Work With The Plastek Group for Your Plastic Packaging Needs

The Plastek Group is a global supplier of your plastics needs with more than 65 years of experience in package development, mold design and manufacturing, molding, and assembly. Whether you’re looking for plastic packaging solutions for your personal care products, health and beauty products, home care products, pharmaceutical and nutraceutical products, or food and beverage products, we have stock designs and custom product design and development capabilities to meet your needs. 

At each of our facilities — in the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Mexico — we remain committed to being a responsible, ethical manufacturer within the polymer industry. Learn more about our capabilities, or request a quote today!