What kinds of products does
ChinaForgeTM manufacture?
We primarily source high volume plastic and metal
industrial and engineering parts and components, as well as circuit
boards, and some consumer retail products. We service all industries,
and some of our largest are automotive, aerospace, medical,
construction, retail, and packaging.
What information is needed to obtain a quote?
It is normally best to have a set of
three-dimensional CAD models for each of the product's parts, as well as
a set of flat engineering drawings. The CAD models tell us the exact
shape of your parts, but engineering drawings give us a lot of additional
information in the form of specific dimensions, details, cross-sections,
and notes. For simple parts without complex shapes only flat engineering
drawings are necessary.
Product samples are helpful, but not required if the
design documents are detailed enough.
What is the typical lead time for tooling
production and product manufacture?
This depends on a large number of factors. If you
are making plastic or metal products, it will probably take at
least 30-60 days to get
all the tooling manufactured and tested. Once the tooling is ready and
samples approved, the
time before we can ship the first order varies depending on the
nature of your product and your order size.
How are finished products shipped from China?
Our freight forwarders will arrange for shipping
with a major shipping line.
Products are usually shipped from China in 20, 40, or 45-foot long
shipping containers,
but for smaller shipments we can also ship less than container load.
Typical shipping times are
10 to 16 days from Shanghai to the west coast of the US, or
30 to 35 days to east coast US and most major European ports.
When your shipment is extremely urgent we can ship by
air freight to most major airports, or by FedEx or DHL directly to your
door. FedEx typically takes only 2 to 3 days to ship from China to
most world
locations. You save money shipping FedEx through us because we have
high-volume discounts.
How can I ensure that the product will be high
quality?
High quality product is our primary concern.
To ensure that you are satisfied with product
quality, we will send you samples by FedEx for your approval before we
start
large-scale
manufacture, thus giving you a chance to verify the quality of the
product. We inspect every order so that shipments
containing defective
products can be rejected before they leave the factory instead of as
much
as a month later when they get to your warehouse.
How do I know I'm getting a good price?
Manufacturing in China is inherently inexpensive,
mostly due to the low cost of labor, both skilled and unskilled.
Plastic
injection molds in China often cost a fraction of their
equivalents in the USA. The costs of molding plastic parts
themselves can be considerably less in China as well.
For many products the per unit cost of
manufacture varies with the number of units produced. As you
require larger and larger volumes and make larger orders our
production
costs may diminish. Our policy is to pass these
cost reductions on to the customer.
How can we prevent our designs from being stolen
by Chinese competitors?
We make great effort to deal only with trusted
manufacturers with whom we already have firm relationships. We can
require
that each manufacturer with access to your design sign a
confidentiality agreement. If you desire even greater security we
can have separate manufacturers make different
components of your product.
However, you should be aware that intellectual
property law is
not well
enforced
in China. Even if the management of a Chinese factory is
completely trustworthy your designs might still not be safe, because it
may be possible
for low-level employees of Chinese firms to steal data to sell to
other firms.
We suggest you
apply for patents and trademark
registration in your own country and wherever your product is to be sold
before you begin manufacturing in
China. Once you have started the application process, then it may be
safer
to allow your designs to be seen by Chinese manufacturers. We can
also
help you with the process of applying for patent and
trademark protection in China.
We are interested in purchasing an existing product. Can
ChinaForgeTM help us to source it from China?
We primarily deal with custom manufacturing, sourcing from a small
set of
pre-qualified suppliers who only deal with specific manufacturing
processes. If you want to source an
existing product we suggest you deal with a Chinese trade company, since
there are many Chinese trade companies providing these services. The
amount of technical information that needs to be communicated is less
when you are purchasing existing products, so dealing directly with a
Chinese trade company is easier, and their profit margins are lower.
Can ChinaForge help my company sell our product in
China?
We do not sell products in China, but we may be able to introduce you
to firms that handle this kind of business.
