If you’re looking to assemble your products in China and want to do it as cost-effectively as possible, then it’s important to find the right assembly partner before you get started. Doing so will help you stay on track and keep your costs low without sacrificing quality or speed of delivery.

However, how do you find the right assembly partner? How can you be sure they have all the equipment they need? What should you pay attention to when interviewing them? Keep reading to learn 5 things that you need to know when finding the right assembly partner in China.

1) Get Ready – What Information Do You Need?

Before you begin your search for a reliable assembly partner, there are a few things you’ll need to prepare.

If you don’t know what kind of electrical assemblies your company needs, you won’t be able to find a viable assembly partner. So, make sure what electronical assembly service you will need for your products.

Typically, there are 5 electronical assembly techniques:

• Wiring
• Wiring harnesses
• Connectors
• Clamps
• Switches

If you know exactly what you want your supplier to do and how much it will cost per piece, then you should have no problem finding a great Chinese assembly supplier.

2) Where Do I Start – How Can I Approach Vendors?

When seeking out an assembly partner in China – something that may seem easy on paper – you’ll face many obstacles along your way.

As you may know, they’re a lot of fraud factories in China. When a factory knows it will be completely shutting down, its owner will take back the case without noticing their foreign clients. Because they know you are far away from them and you can not check their account.

So try to work with those who are searchable online. Click to their websites and social platforms and read about their reviews and case studies.

You can also go to some online forums to ask someone that has worked with a good electronical assembly company for more information.

Before diving into your hunt, there are 5 questions you should ask:

• Wha’s your budget?
• What type of product do you want to be made?
• What material do you want to use?
• How much time do you have before production begins?
• How large of a batch will you need to produce?

3) What to Look for – How Can I Evaluate Vendors?

A good electrical assembly vendor will have an assembly facility that can assemble your items with precision and quality.

However, if a vendor claims that they have a team of professional engineers and skilled workers to charge more, you should be careful with that. Some vendors in China may not even have factories, and they outsource all of their orders. 

So, when you evaluate a vendor, it’s better to visit their facility in person. In this case, you will have a better understanding of such elements:

• Physical environment: size, layout, equipment and manufacturing capabilities
• Working condition: workplace safety and mode 
• Culture: departments and working hours, certifications

Plant tours are one of the most valuable activities you should do before partnering with a potential assembly vendor, especially if you want to work on large-scale projects with them.

3) Prepare Yourself – Can You Manage the Process?

Before going through with an electronical assembly company, you will have to make sure that you are capable of managing your supplier.

What does that mean?

If you are a business owner and you are not familiar with all aspects of electrical assembly, it will be quite hard for you to learn everything step by step. In this case, it is a good idea to contact a professional agency or experienced consultant who can help guide and educate you on what goes into setting up an electrical assembly operation.

And understanding that there are language barriers when working with your supplier is inevitable since most factory owners do not speak English well. So try to keep your requirements simple to be understood for both sides.

Also, maintaining relationships with your product assembly company is essential in China. Earning your supplier’s trust and involving them in your project from the earliest stages ensure they become a strategic partner, which is vested in the project’s success.

5) What Next – After I’ve Signed an Agreement?

Now that you have compared some potential suppliers and you are about to finalise a perfect one for you, what’s next?

At this stage, you should learn more about the agreement.

If you have an IP right on your product, make sure that your supplier has a non-disclosure agreement to safeguard your trademarks or logos.

Let Shield Works Be Your IP Protective Manufacturing Partner

Our assembly service at Shield Works is a combination of reliability, cost-efficiency, and punctuality.

With our British ownership and management background, we have full capacity to help our overseas clients to assemble their products without IP rights risks.

Our product assembly team is so skilled and experienced that we can guarantee 100% satisfaction. Contact us to discuss your project today.