In order to innovate, remain competitive, cut costs and hit the market sooner with new products, more and more manufacturers are turning to implementing value engineering, also known as Design For Manufacturability or (DFM), into their development workflows. By simplifying and optimizing product designs—at the onset of the design iterations—manufacturers can eliminate unnecessary costs throughout the entire production value chain.
Manufacturers adopting DFM approaches to product development must ensure that their development partners contribute to streamlining their production. For example, if you’re considering designing a product with foam injection molding, you’ll need to work with an experienced foam manufacturer that understands DFM and can contribute alongside your team to achieve your design goals.
Unfortunately, not all foam manufacturing companies are the same. Using the services of an off-shore foam manufacturer may initially be tempting as it is erroneously perceived that “off-shore” means “inexpensive.” This is far from the case when you calculate the costs associated with wasted time, delays miscommunication and lack of agility due to time zones and language barriers.
On the other hand, by partnering with a foam manufacturer in the USA, you gain significant benefits that will allow you to achieve optimized production costs without sacrificing product performance or value.
Top 5 benefits of working with a molded foam manufacturer and supplier in the USA
1. Fast turnaround and Lower logistic costs: To hit the market swiftly with a product made from foam injection molding, you can collaborate with a foam manufacturer in North America to have your units produced and shipped with short lead times. You will also keep the exorbitant transportation expenses and tariffs at bay.
2. Manageable time zone differences: With a foam manufacturer in America, you are most likely to be in the same time zone—or a maximum of three hours’ time difference. Work schedules need not be adjusted to accommodate a foam manufacturer with a time difference of up to 12 or 13 hours.
3. Smooth communications: When working with foam injection molding teams who natively speak English, communication and collaboration, from a language perspective, is easy. Clarifications can be quickly made to mitigate potential profit-gouging design and production errors.
4. Similar business dynamic: A foam manufacturer in America likely has a similar business dynamic as your company. Similar holidays and vacation periods, for example, give you the peace of mind knowing your deadline will be respected. Using offshore foam manufacturers, on the flip side, means you have to factor in calendar discrepancies due to different cultural and social practices that can affect timelines.
5. Agility: As an offshoot benefit to aligned time zones, partnering with a foam manufacturer in the USA gives you the opportunity to hop on a call or video conference to discuss new concepts, design issues, iterations, prototype assessments, product testing and quality control, etc. With all stakeholders around the virtual table, every stage of the design and production process can be made drastically more efficient. Ongoing communication with your EVA foam manufacturer in the USA also pave the way for better design ideas to slash manufacturing costs.
According to the Harvard Business Review, there are many hidden costs to offshore manufacturing:
· 35% increase in costs due to unanticipated design changes
· Up to 25% increase in costs for shipping
· 3% increase in costs for communications and paperwork
Inevitably, these added costs impede any DFM objective your company has set for itself. On the contrary, a American-based foam injection molding manufacturer can be a definitive partner in designing innovative products using EVA foam and positively improving your bottom line.
For more information on how your next project can be taken to another level with a molded foam manufacturer in the USA, contact us today!
Other blog about Foam Injection molding :
-Recycling foam injection molding : How we contribute to foam sustainability and circular economy
-3 main reasons to use foam injection molding for sports equipment and protective gear
- Why XL EXTRALIGHT® foam injection molding beats out other foam processes