Contract Manufacturing China: How to Find the Right Manufacturer
Are you tired of the expensive cost of contract manufacturing in your home country? You really should consider contract manufacturing in China to help lower your spending!
Knowing how to find a contract manufacturer in China may feel like an intense task. However, it is not as difficult as you might think. All it takes is following a step-by-step process.
To learn how to find the best OEM manufacturers in China, keep reading.
What Is Contract Manufacturing?
If you aren’t familiar with contract manufacturing, let’s cover the basics.
Contract manufacturing means that your company is looking for another company to take responsibility for part of the production process for your products. This can be a great way to collaborate and split duties with another company to complete your production more effectively.
So, how do you find a contract manufacturer in China?
What to Do Before Finding a Manufacturer in China
You’re still searching for a contract manufacturer, but there are still some important tasks you need to complete before you solidify one.
File Your Intellectual Property Rights
This is a very important step. You will need to register your intellectual property rights (or IP rights) in China.
Your product’s IP includes any watermarks, trademarks, and other copyrights associated with it. If you are not the first company to do this, then some other company may step in.
That’s right: the first company that registers IP rights in China is the one who gets them. Even if your company is the only one of its kind, your IP rights could be at risk if you don’t register them in China.
How to Find a Contract Manufacturer in China
Finding the right contract manufacturing in China is essential. You want to make sure you and your contract manufacturer are on the same page when it comes to producing your products.
Here are some things to consider when beginning your search for OEM manufacturers in China.
1. Do Your Research First
The most important thing to do in the beginning stages is to do proper research on product development as well as contract manufacturing in China.
You need to develop your product idea to the fullest. This helps you know how much money and time it will take to create your product in bulk.
It can also give you some idea of what customers want and will expect from your product as well.
2. Know the Kinds of Factories in China
There are three kinds of factories in China, and all of them vary.
A raw materials factory is what it sounds like: it makes everything you will need to make your product to begin with. Once these materials are made, they are then sent to a component factory.
Unlike a raw materials factory, a component factory makes part of your end product but not all of it. That’s a job for the assembly factory.
Again, the assembly factory sounds like what it is. Your product is assembled in full here.
One thing to keep in mind is that not all factories will do all three types of manufacturing work. You will need to double-check with the factory itself to see what they can offer and do for your product.
3. Find the Right Contract Manufacturing in China
Finding OEM manufacturers in China can feel like a dubious task. The good news is that you have several places you can look for options.
One easy way to research potential manufacturers is to look online. Alibaba, MadeInChina, and many other places can lead you in the right direction, but you may have some delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There are also trade shows and other opportunities to find contract manufacturing too.
You still need to do your research for the one that fits best with you. You can learn more about Shield Works’ manufacturing services here. As a British-owned manufacturer in China, we know how to overcome cultural barriers to get you the products you need.
Avoid using a sourcing agent: we’re here to help!
What to Do Once You Have a Manufacturer
Once you have a manufacturer picked out, you still need to do a couple of things. Let’s break it down step by step.
1. Draw Up an NNN Agreement in Chinese
An NNN agreement is a “non-disclosure, non-use, non-circumventing” agreement. This means that your IP rights will be protected even further.
It must be written in Chinese so that it is seen as genuine in the eyes of a Chinese court.
2. Create an OEM Agreement
An OEM agreement stands for Original Equipment Manufacturer agreement. This is where you write all of the details of your product. Be as specific as possible.
Like the NNN agreement, this one must be written in Chinese as well. In a Chinese court, the terms of the contract will only be enforceable if written in Chinese.
3. Quality Control
Quality control assurance throughout the production process will save you a headache later. This means making sure you keep certified product samples onhand too.
A good way to do this is to have a third party perform quality control procedures on your manufacturer. Though the factory may have its own quality control team, it is always best to have an outside perspective too.
Contract Manufacturing in China
Finding the right contract manufacturing in China takes time, like anything. When you find the right contract manufacturer, your product’s production process will run smoothly.
Traversing a different culture and language for contract manufacturing is stressful. Lucky for you, Shield Works is here!
Let us be your chosen manufacturer in China. Contact us today so we can get started!