Plastics Series
Tooling Costs: 5 Proven Ways to Avoid Losing Ownership of Your Mold
Tooling costs cover the mold, jigs and fixtures built for your product, but paying the invoice does not make the tooling yours. How to secure ownership.
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Articles on Outsourcing & Manufacturing Custom Products
Doing Business
Do You Need an NNN Agreement to Manufacture in China?
What an NNN agreement covers, how it differs from a standard NDA, and when it is worth the cost to protect a product made in China.
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Doing Business
Minimum Order Quantity: Why Chasing the Lowest MOQ Can Cost You More
Chasing the lowest MOQ can raise your per-unit cost elsewhere. How minimum order quantity actually interacts with tooling, freight, and margin.
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Doing Business
7 Reasons Manufacturers Want to Work With Some Brands (And Not Others): What Manufacturers Look for Before Quoting Your Product
What manufacturers look for before quoting: seven reasons factories take on some brands and turn others away, and what to have ready before you ask.
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Apparel Series
Apparel Production Readiness Checklist: 8 Essential Things to Prepare Before Requesting Quotes
Apparel Production Readiness Checklist: a checklist for what a factory needs before it can quote your garment: tech pack, fit sample, fabric selection.
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Doing Business
What Is ESG and When Should Manufacturers Start Caring?
What Is ESG and When Should Manufacturers Start Caring? In January 2025, Shein’s General Counsel was questioned by UK lawmakers about whether the company sourced cotton from Xinjiang, a region linked to forced labor concerns. Around the same time, Temu was reported to be under investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for potential […]
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Economics
5 Ways to Reduce US Import Tariffs with Smarter Manufacturing Strategy
Five legitimate ways to reduce US import tariffs: classification, country of origin, duty drawback, bonded warehousing, and sourcing adjustments.
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Uncategorized
5 Key Elements of an Effective Manufacturing Quality Control Process
The five elements of a manufacturing quality control process: incoming inspection, in-process checks, final inspection, testing, and documentation.
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Doing Business
Why You’re Getting Ghosted by Suppliers
Sourcing overseas for your product manufacturing can be unpredictable, especially when communication suddenly drops off. One week you’re exchanging samples, pricing, and timelines. The next… silence (and we don’t mean you, although that happens a lot too). If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Getting ghosted by suppliers is one of the most common frustrations […]
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Doing Business
How Brands Handle Demand Spikes
From viral moments to seasonal surges, demand doesn’t always grow gradually. It jumps. And when it does, most supply chains aren’t built to keep up. What starts as a good problem can quickly turn into missed timelines, rising costs, and inconsistent quality. This is where having the right systems in place matters. Where Things Usually […]
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