What Is Contract Manufacturing?

When a business launches a new product, the business must decide how to bring that product to the market. This decision can determine the success of the product, making it an important consideration. One option that ensures high productivity and high-quality processes is contract manufacturing. Contract manufacturing is when a business hires another company to produce its products. This allows for minimal startup investments since the business can start selling its products without having the money to build and run a whole production factory.

In contract manufacturing relationships, the business that hires the production company outlines product specifications, performance requirements and production quantities. The hiring company should seek a contract manufacturer with expertise in the type of product the company wants to make. Once the contract manufacturer has the production information, the third party is responsible for determining the required manufacturing methods and processes to follow and proceed with during the fabrication stage. The contract manufacturer may also take care of chemical or engineering processes like packaging, depending on their expertise.

Why Is Contract Manufacturing Important?

Contract manufacturing companies play an important role in the manufacturing industry. Contract manufacturers make it possible for companies with limited resources to manufacture, engineer and market their new products. Additionally, they provide specialized technical insights from an outsider’s perspective. In playing this role, they are responsible for creating more opportunities for emerging technologies.

Contract manufacturers can have a significant impact on companies. They are a great resource for small businesses and startups, and they also bring additional benefits to the table when a company decides to use outsourcing.

Benefits of Outsourcing

Outsourcing offers a wide range of benefits, including:

• Expertise: Third-party contract manufacturers give businesses an opportunity to produce their products when they otherwise would not have been able to. They also bring expertise to the table. Contract manufacturers have teams of experts who are used to making new components with extremely specific specifications. The production team has experience making products and additional knowledge and insights that would not come from in-house manufacturing.
• Equipment: Contract manufacturers use equipment that is high quality. If a business was using in-house manufacturing, it would not make financial sense to use such high-quality equipment to make only a few products. Even if it did make sense, the business might not be able to afford such advanced equipment. Contract manufacturers can invest in better equipment and use it for various clients who would otherwise not have access to it.
• Quality control: You can also expect quality control benefits when outsourcing through a contract manufacturer. Outsourcing manufacturing companies need to meet or exceed specific expectations when creating products for many different clients. Many of these contract manufacturers have superior in-house quality control and related certifications to show their expertise.
• Ease of production: When using a contract manufacturer, you always gain the benefit of ease of production. As part of the contract, the manufacturer you hire is responsible for producing according to your blueprint and must meet the agreement’s specified product count. This means that production is not something that you have to worry about on your end.
• Ease of worry: When working with a contract manufacturer not only do you not have to worry about the production but you do not have to worry about everything that they are responsible for. This may additionally include things like packaging or chemical processes. They need to meet or exceed your standards in everything they do. Meanwhile, outsourcing your manufacturing to proven professionals can take a lot off your hands and ease your worry.

Why Choose to Contract Manufacturing Services?

When deciding whether to hire a contract manufacturer, you have a lot to consider. The first thing would be your budget. Does your budget allow you to build an in-house factory and hire an in-house manufacturing crew? This includes the expensive equipment, experienced workers and the space needed for an in-house operation. If your budget does not allow for this, you might want to hire a contract manufacturer.

Even if you do have the money to operate in-house, you have to consider if it is really worth it. In contract manufacturing, a business specializing in parts production will use your company’s design to create the product at an efficient rate. Hiring a contract manufacturer could free up more of your company’s time and give you the budget to allocate more resources to grow your business. Whereas if you hired an in-house team, you might spend time and money as your team learns the new equipment and processes.

You may also consider outsourcing if you have a narrow product range. If your business only specializes in one product or one part, it may be a good idea to outsource other parts and products outside of the one your business specializes in. If your product is seasonal, you might also consider contract manufacturing. If your demand fluctuates, scaling up and down on production can be costly. However, if you outsource, this becomes easier to manage. Lastly, if your supply chain is complex, contract manufacturers may help you simplify production.

Private Label vs. Contract Manufacturing

Contract manufacturing is not to be confused with private labeling. Private labeling is when you choose an already existing product from a manufacturer and label it, especially for your company. In contract manufacturing, you are actually giving your company’s blueprint for your product to the manufacturer.

Private label manufacturing is usually a good option for small companies that do not have the resources or time to figure out the components of building a product from scratch. The benefits of choosing this option include speed, smaller upfront investments and time to focus on other business areas while experts take on the creation process.

On the other hand, in contract manufacturing, you are figuring out the formula and giving it to someone else to make for you. This is good for when you have a unique idea or unique way of crafting something compared to other brands. You gain similar benefits from this process, like production speed, and also gain some control over the product creation. Contract manufacturers help you differentiate your product from others, while private labeling lets you put your brand name on a more generic product.

Let American Micro Industries Help You With Your Contract Manufacturing Needs

Now that you know all about what contract manufacturing is, why it is important, how it can benefit you, and when to choose contract manufacturing, you might better understand if it’s the right partnership for you. If you believe that contract manufacturing might be the right choice for your project, let American Micro Industries help you with our outstanding service. Learn more about our contract manufacturing capabilities and request a quote today.