What Questions Should You Ask Your Manufacturer Before Signing the Contract?

Choosing the right manufacturer is crucial to the success of your product. Whether you're a startup looking to prototype your first run or an established company scaling production, asking the right questions is essential before you sign a contract. At Extreme Molding, we've been asked many questions over the past twenty years by clients, and we believe these questions should always be on your list—no matter who you choose as your manufacturer. Here are the most important questions to ask and why they matter:

1. How Much Does It Cost to Manufacture My Product?

Why Ask: Understanding the full cost breakdown of manufacturing is critical to ensuring your product stays within budget. Costs can vary based on tooling, materials, production methods, and order sizes, so it’s important to get a clear understanding upfront.

Our Answer: It's important to ask about these costs because they directly impact your product's final price and profitability. We’ve broken down the various cost factors, including the cost of tooling.

2. What Certifications Does Your Company Have?

3. What Is Your Minimum Order Quantity, and How Flexible Is It?

Why Ask: Some manufacturers have rigid minimum order quantities (MOQ) that might be challenging for startups or smaller businesses. Understanding this flexibility helps you determine if the manufacturer is the right fit for your production needs now and as you grow.

Our Answer: We work with businesses of all sizes. Whether you need prototypes with fewer than 10 parts or larger production runs, we tailor our approach to your needs.

We offer:

• Prototyping for under 10 parts
• Compression molding for less than 500 parts
• Soft tool injection molding for 500 to 10,000 parts
• Hard tooling for production runs over 10,000 parts

4. What Are Your Typical Lead Times for Production, and How Do You Handle Delays?

Why Ask: Lead times directly impact your ability to bring products to market. Understanding typical timelines and how a manufacturer handles delays ensures you won’t be caught off guard by extended wait times that could affect your business.

Our Answer: Our lead times vary based on the type of molding:

• Compression molds: 4–6 weeks, but this timeframe may vary since we don’t build our molds in-house.
• Injection molds: 8–12 weeks. (Standard injection molds fall into this category.)
• Cold deck molds with automation: 18-24 weeks.
• Production: 3–5 weeks, depending on our workload.

To avoid delays, we emphasize the importance of finalizing CAD files, ensuring clear communication throughout the process, and making timely payments. We also recommend creating a production forecast and keeping materials on hand to prevent unforeseen delays.

5. How Do You Handle Product Revisions or Modifications After the Design Phase?

Why Ask: Changes to the product after the design phase can be costly and time-consuming. It’s important to understand how revisions will be handled to minimize disruptions and additional expenses.

Our Answer: We understand that designing products can be challenging, especially when considering manufacturability. That's why we leverage our design for manufacturability (DFM) expertise to streamline the process and avoid costly mistakes. By working closely with you, we'll minimize complexity and offer insights to ensure a smooth transition from design to production.

While we ideally aim for a seamless design phase without revisions, we know that changes happen. We minimize the cost of revisions by making the mold “tool-safe,” which allows for easier adjustments. If the design changes before the mold is completed, we can make modifications before shipping. However, if changes are needed after the mold is completed, the mold will need to be returned for re-machining and additional sampling.

6. How Do You Manage Supply Chain and Material Shortages?

Why Ask: Material shortages or supply chain disruptions can cause significant delays in production, so understanding how a manufacturer handles their supply chain is critical.

Our Answer: We avoid material shortages and delays by maintaining clear communication with our clients and suppliers. We often use blanket orders and encourage customer forecasting to ensure we have the necessary materials in stock for production. Proactive management of materials helps keep projects on schedule and prevent delays.

7. What Are Your Policies on Intellectual Property? Could You Sign an NDA Before I Send Over My CAD File?

Why Ask: Protecting your intellectual property (IP) during the manufacturing process is vital, especially when you're working with proprietary designs or new innovations. You need to be sure that your manufacturer has strict policies in place to protect your ideas and product designs. That’s why it’s important to find a manufacturer that’s willing to sign an NDA to put your mind at ease.

Our Answer: We take IP and confidentiality very seriously and ensure that nothing proprietary or confidential is shared. Our commitment to protecting your IP is one of the reasons why clients trust us with their most sensitive projects. In fact, one of the first questions we ask our clients is if they would like us to execute an NDA.

Working with a Manufacturer You Can Trust

Asking these critical questions before signing a contract with a manufacturer is key to ensuring a smooth and successful production process. Whether you choose to partner with us or another manufacturer, it’s important to have clarity on these areas to avoid costly mistakes and delays. At Extreme Molding, we pride ourselves on being transparent and adaptable to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes.

Contact us today to discuss how we can help you create a product that meets your exact specifications and exceeds industry standards.