Is Overseas Manufacturer suitable for Everyone?

There's no one-size-fits-all solution. However, in this post, we'll outline the potential benefits of choosing an overseas manufacturer to produce your products and Is Overseas Manufacturer suitable for Everyone.
Firstly, an overseas manufacturer can save you a significant amount of money. Long-term relationships can be built with overseas manufacturers to cut costs and deliver products or services at highly competitive prices. You can find an increase in profits by getting products produced overseas with lower costs and then selling them domestically or globally. It's important to note that this strategy may not work for everyone.
Second, there are many benefits to having overseas manufacturing. Not only will you have a cheaper product for the end consumer, but you'll be able to tap into international markets that may not be readily available to domestic manufacturers. This is especially true for mid-to-large brands looking at expanding their market and providing products to local markets like China or India.
Third, you'll be able to take advantage of the recent trend of consolidating and centralizing production worldwide to cut costs and improve efficiency. With all these critical points in mind, let's examine how an overseas manufacturer can optimize a product's performance, keep an eye on competitive strengths, and even maximize brand recognition.
Factors That Could Determine Whether You Need an Overseas Manufacturer
Costs
By nature, overseas manufacturers can be pricier than domestic manufacturers. You may also need to factor in how much your product is already costing you in development, design, and production. If the costs are prohibitive, consider a domestic manufacturer. However, if you're looking to reduce the cost of your product down to the bare minimum (or don't care about the product's quality), consider an overseas manufacturer.
Brand Recognition
In this case, brand recognition may have nothing to do with where your product is produced. Instead, you're looking to increase brand awareness by selling your product in more countries. Overseas manufacturers can offer a more targeted approach.
Increasing your market share and familiarizing consumers with your brand name in international markets. An excellent overseas manufacturer could help you take advantage of the growing middle class in global markets and expand into new territories that may otherwise be unavailable to domestic brands.
Competitive Strengths
Suppose competitors are already importing your products, and you need to do something to set yourself apart from the competition. In that case, an overseas manufacturer could be a higher-risk, higher-reward option.
This may be the case in industries with minimal barriers to entry like apparel or shoes. If you have a minor brand name and need something other than established branding to distinguish your products from others on the market, then it may be in your best interest to produce overseas.
And lastly, can you afford to wait for U.S. manufacturers to start producing overseas again? For example, suppose you have a product that an overseas manufacturer can make promptly and without the excess importation costs to the U.S. In that case, it could be worth the risk and risk of quality control issues if the manufacturer is credible.
Consulting with an Overseas Manufacturer
Whether an overseas manufacturer is a good option for you can be determined by asking them. Most manufacturers have a website, and even if they don't, it's challenging to find reliable information about their origins and credentials.
A technical search will produce countless results that are not necessarily relevant to your product. That's why you must depend on a reputation-based search when seeking out overseas manufacturers. Using the help of an agency that can guide you through this process is your best bet for finding a manufacturer that meets your needs.
Finding the proper overseas manufacturer could be challenging. When you finally locate the correct manufacturer, make sure you have a good match between size and quality. High-tech, one-of-a-kind products that cannot be mass-produced are not likely to be manufactured overseas. Instead, you'll want to find a manufacturer that can produce similar effects in quantity.
Unlike most manufactured goods produced in large quantities, the demand for custom-made products is relatively low (at least in other industries). This may suggest that an overseas manufacturer may not be best for you depending on your product needs.
What's Next?
If you're ready to learn more about what to do, start by reading through some of our blogs and guides here. We hope this post has given you a good idea of whether an overseas manufacturer is proper for you.
What are the advantages of manufacturing overseas?
In the manufacturing sector, it's not uncommon for companies to outsource their production overseas. Some of the world's top brands have factories overseas. So why should you manufacture overseas?
- lower costs: It is widely believed that you can produce at lower prices overseas than in your own country. The labor costs are lower, and there are fewer legal issues. In most cases, it's also much easier to find an overseas manufacturer that can provide you with a quick turnaround or high-quality products.
- quick turnaround: You can get a product prototype done faster and in small batch production if you have the components readily available overseas.
- higher quality: You may not realize it, but higher quality products can be made overseas. It's not unusual for companies to outsource their production to companies focused on producing a particular product.
- access to markets: If your goal is to increase your market share, outsourcing your production overseas can be very useful. Not only will you have more access to markets, but you might find customers who are more interested in your products and services because of the associated low costs and high quality.
- global reach: You could have the ability to expand your global reach at a lower cost.
If you want to manufacture overseas, you'll need to find a good manufacturer that can meet your needs. If you don't, then it's unlikely that you'll be able to do business with that company in the future.
This is because manufacturing overseas builds trust and loyalty between the manufacturer and the buyer. The manufacturer needs to understand your needs to deliver what you require on time and in full. If they can't do that, they are unlikely to receive future orders from you.
What qualities should you look for in an excellent overseas manufacturer?
- Reputation: You must choose a company with a good reputation. This can be gleaned from references, comments from other clients, or even the importance of the manufacturer's country.
- Competence: The manufacturer must make products that meet your needs. This means you'll have to be able to discuss your requirements with them. You'll also need to know whether they can deliver on these specifications and timelines.
- Expertise: It's also essential that the manufacturer has an adequate level of knowledge in the specific products you want to manufacture overseas. If they don't, it's unlikely they will manufacture these products as efficiently as possible and at a competitive price.
- Access to technologies: You'll also want to find a manufacturer that has access to all the necessary technologies and equipment. Unless they can manufacture your products cost-effectively, you can't expect good results.
- Past performance: Past performance is another indication of whether a manufacturer should receive new orders from you in the future. They must have an excellent record of producing products overseas before considering giving them new orders.
- Efficiency: You'll also want an efficient manufacturer in their overseas production processes. This means they can quickly meet all your delivery deadlines and requirements. It's also essential that there are no costs involved with importing the materials, components, or tools from overseas.
If you're already manufacturing in your country, then you'll need to find manufacturers overseas who can meet your requirements. If you choose poorly, then it's unlikely you'll be able to work with that company in the future.
Finding an overseas manufacturer
Consider the following tips for finding an overseas manufacturer.
- Work with a reputable company: You'll first want to look for a low-cost overseas manufacturer with a good reputation for delivering quality products and services in the past. It's also essential that the company has had no complaints lodged against them in the past from different countries.
- Find out about their past performance: You'll want to know how they did when it came to previous product deliveries before deciding whether or not you can work with them again in the future.
- What they'll expect from you: It's also essential to find out how they will communicate with you in the future before you commit to them. This can be done by asking them for a sample datasheet (if possible), so you can see exactly what they're capable of producing.
- Advise on prices: Don't just choose based upon the lowest prices alone as this could affect your long-term relationship with the overseas manufacturer. Instead, look for a low-cost overseas manufacturer with quality products and services.
- Find an excellent overseas manufacturer: The best way to find an excellent overseas manufacturer is by consulting other manufacturers that have already done business with that particular company.
- Do your research: You'll also have to research the country you will outsource products overseas from. For example, if you're going to manufacture in China, then you'll need to learn as much as possible about what they can deliver, including their legal system and labor costs.
- Trust: If you want your overseas manufacturing business to succeed, you'll have to build trust and loyalty with the provider.
- Price: It's not only crucial that the overseas manufacturer has low costs, but it's also essential that they remain competitive on price against similar companies locally and regionally.
- Quality: The next step is to find a manufacturer with a strong knowledge of both product design and its manufacturing processes. This will ensure that the product you receive is high quality.
- Comply with regulations: It's also essential that the manufacturer has all the necessary certifications and information to export products overseas.
Pros and cons of overseas manufacturing
On the one hand, the low cost and less stringent labor regulations can create substantial cost savings. But on the other hand, offshore production does have its downsides. Here is a list of some pros and cons of overseas manufacturing to help you decide.
Pros:
- Cost savings – manufacturing in countries like China, Bangladesh, and Mexico can result in huge savings. Many companies can cut their costs by 25% if they move offshore.
- Labor cost – labor is much cheaper in these countries than in the U.S. According to the American Apparel and Footwear Association, work accounts for about 3/4 of a garment's cost. If you change your manufacturing from one side of the world to another, you can significantly reduce your costs.
- Short production cycle – overseas factories can manufacture almost all the products you need in a little over a month because they work around the clock.
- Greater flexibility – companies are given great flexibility in distribution and advertising options.
Cons:
- Imports are not tax-exempt if you use them for resale, production of new products, or for export.
- A company's reputation may be tarnished if it is linked to an offshore company manufacturing certain items for sales abroad, such as sweatshops or child labor practices.
- Security isn't a big concern (yet): Due to the U.S. importing many textiles and other products, there hasn't been much trouble with the U.S. government, though they oversee things.
- There is a lack of specialized equipment in China and Mexico.
Parting Words:
One of the biggest compliments you can receive as an overseas manufacturer is when a customer returns to buy more products. This shows how much they trust their supplier of garments, slippers, and other items. It's also an indication that they are satisfied with the quality of the product they received. As previously mentioned, if you want to be successful in the business world, then you'll need to build a long-term relationship with your overseas manufacturers.
Do you feel like you are struggling with putting "strategy" and "business growth concepts" in place that make a difference? Doing it all is overwhelming! Let’s have a honest discussion about your business and see if the Power of 10 can help you. Click “HERE” to have a great conversation with our team today.
Written and Published By The Strategic Advisor Board Team
C. 2017-2021 Strategic Advisor Board / M&C All Rights Reserved
www.strategicadvisorboard.com / info@strategicadvisorboard.com









