Startups Need These 6 Things from Injection Molding Services

We all start somewhere. Even a business like Rex Plastics, rapidly closing in on its fiftieth anniversary, had humble beginnings. But starting a new product is about more than having a good idea. You also need to figure out how to turn that idea into a manufacturable product, manage upfront costs, and eventually produce enough parts to meet demand.

For startups, those challenges can make choosing an injection molding partner particularly important. A manufacturer that works primarily with high-volume, established products may not be the right fit for a company still testing its market or refining its product.

When evaluating injection molding services, startups should look for a partner that can accommodate their current needs while leaving room for the product to grow. Here are six things to consider.

Short-Run Capabilities and Low Setup Costs

Traditional injection molding economics tend to favor larger production runs. The cost of creating a mold and setting up a production run can make small quantities expensive, particularly when a startup has not yet established consistent demand for its product.

Short-run capabilities can help lower that barrier to entry. Instead of committing to a large production run before knowing how the market will respond, a startup may be able to produce a smaller initial quantity, test the product, and increase production as demand becomes more predictable.

Setup costs also deserve attention. The goal is not necessarily to find the manufacturer with the lowest price, but to find a production model that makes sense for the stage of your business. A startup with limited capital and uncertain demand may have very different manufacturing needs than an established company producing hundreds of thousands of parts.

When comparing injection molding services, ask about minimum production quantities, setup costs, tooling expenses, and how easily production can scale as your needs change.

An End-to-End Process

Getting a product into production involves much more than building a mold. A startup may begin with a concept or an early design, then need to address manufacturability, prototyping, tooling, production, and other details before the finished product reaches customers.

An injection molding partner that can support several of these stages can simplify that process. Design assistance, for example, can help identify potential manufacturing problems before they become expensive tooling or production problems. Prototyping provides another opportunity to evaluate the design and make changes before committing to full-scale manufacturing.

This stage can raise questions that are easy to overlook when you are focused on getting a new product to market. Is the design suitable for injection molding? Are the tolerances realistic? Will certain features complicate tooling? Is the chosen material appropriate for the product’s intended use?

Working through those questions early can save time and expense later. Depending on the project, startups may also need help navigating financing or finding third-party financial assistance as they move toward production.

An end-to-end manufacturing process can also simplify communication. Rather than coordinating design, prototyping, tooling, production, and finishing with several different companies, a startup may be able to work with one primary manufacturing partner as the product moves through each stage.

The right partner should also be willing to explain the manufacturing process rather than assuming you already understand it. Injection molding involves a wide range of materials, tooling options, and specialized processes, including techniques such as double-shot molding. Each product has its own requirements, and a good manufacturing partner should be able to help you understand the options available for yours.

Rex Plastics supports projects through product design assistance and 3-D printed prototyping, tooling, production, and other stages of the manufacturing process.

Secondary Operations

A molded component is not always a finished product. Depending on the application, it may need printing, assembly, packaging, or other work before it is ready to reach customers.

These secondary operations can be easy for a startup to overlook. Early in the development process, most of the attention naturally goes toward designing and manufacturing the product itself. Decisions about printing, assembly, packaging, and distribution may come later, when changing the production process becomes more complicated.

That makes it worth considering these requirements from the beginning. For example, a product that requires pad printing may need a surface suitable for printing. A product that requires assembly may need to account for how its individual components fit together. Packaging requirements can also affect the finished product’s dimensions, protection, and shipping costs.

When evaluating an injection molding service, consider whether the manufacturer can provide or coordinate the secondary operations your product will need. Having services such as pad printing, assembly, packaging, and limited distribution available through one manufacturing partner can reduce the number of vendors a startup needs to coordinate.

Domestic Manufacturing

For startups, the cost of manufacturing involves more than the price per part. Transportation, lead times, inventory, communication, and supply-chain disruptions can all affect the actual cost and complexity of getting a product to market.

Domestic manufacturing can provide advantages in these areas. Shorter shipping distances may reduce transportation time, while working with a manufacturer in the United States can make it easier to communicate with the production team, visit the facility, and respond to changes in the product or production schedule.

Domestic sourcing can also give startups greater visibility into their supply chain. Depending on the product and materials involved, that may help reduce some of the uncertainty associated with long international supply chains.

That does not mean domestic manufacturing will always have the lowest per-unit cost. Every project has different requirements, and startups should consider the full supply chain rather than looking at unit price alone.

For companies that value domestic production and locally sourced materials, an injection molding partner such as Rex Plastics can provide American-made manufacturing using domestically sourced raw materials to the maximum extent possible.

A Manufacturing Partner with a Proven Track Record

Choosing a manufacturer is a long-term decision, particularly when you are developing a product that you expect to continue producing as the business grows. A manufacturer may help with the initial production run, but a strong working relationship can become even more valuable when orders increase, the product changes, or new products enter development.

Customer retention can offer one indication of those long-term relationships. A high retention rate does not tell you everything about a manufacturer, but it can show that a significant portion of its customers continue working with the company over time.

Rex Plastics has a reported 98% customer retention rate. For a startup, that history can be worth considering alongside other factors such as manufacturing capabilities, communication, quality requirements, production capacity, and experience with similar products.

It is also worth asking how a prospective manufacturer works with customers throughout the life of a project. Startups often need more guidance than established manufacturers, particularly when they are producing an injection-molded product for the first time. A manufacturing partner that can explain its processes and help identify potential issues can make the transition from product development to production easier to navigate.

High-Longevity Molds

The mold is one of the most important investments involved in injection molding. For a startup, that makes mold longevity an important consideration from the beginning.

A product may start with relatively small production runs, but if it succeeds, demand can grow substantially. Replacing tooling later can add expense and disrupt production, so startups should consider how long a mold is expected to last and what happens if it eventually needs repair or replacement.

A durable mold can support production as a product grows without requiring the manufacturer to start over with new tooling simply because production volumes have increased.

Before choosing a manufacturer, ask about mold construction, expected tool life, maintenance, and any guarantees associated with the tooling. Understanding these details upfront can help you account for future manufacturing costs rather than focusing only on the initial tooling price.

Rex Plastics guarantees its molds for life, giving startups one less concern to factor into the long-term production of their products.

Choose Rex Plastics

Since Rex Plastics opened its doors in 1971, we’ve operated by some simple principles laid down by founder Rex Clark: put the customer first, improve constantly, always offer your best, and innovate and stay restless.

Those principles have shaped the way we work with customers through the different stages of manufacturing. For startups, that can mean having a manufacturing partner that understands the importance of manageable production runs, thoughtful product development, clear communication, and long-term planning.

If you’re developing a new product and evaluating injection molding services, request a quote to discuss your project with Rex Plastics.

We look forward to helping your startup navigate its manufacturing challenges.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
How early should a startup contact an injection molding company?	It can be helpful to involve an injection molding company while the product is still in the design stage. Early input can identify manufacturing challenges, material considerations, tooling requirements, and design changes before the product reaches the production stage.
What information does an injection molding company need to provide a quote?	A manufacturer will typically need information such as the part’s dimensions, material requirements, expected production volume, and intended application. A CAD file or detailed drawing can also help the manufacturer evaluate the design, tooling requirements, and estimated production costs.
How should a startup choose a plastic material for its product?	Material selection depends on factors such as the product’s strength, flexibility, temperature range, chemical exposure, appearance, and intended environment. An experienced injection molding partner can help compare materials and identify options that meet the product’s performance requirements without adding unnecessary cost.
What should startups ask an injection molding company before starting a project?	Startups should ask about tooling costs, minimum order quantities, production capacity, lead times, quality control, material sourcing, and how the manufacturer handles design changes or production problems. It is also useful to understand who will serve as the primary point of contact throughout the project.

 

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Suggested Citation:
Rex Plastics. (2018, December 06). Startups Need These 6 Things from Injection Molding Services. https://rexplastics.com/plastic-injection-molding/helping-startups-begin/