How to choose a manufacturer for your product? When you first established a relationship with a foundry, were you both excited and a little worried? Don’t worry, the first time to find a foundry, the key is not to fight the price, but to ask the right question! After all, no one wants to suffer from delivery delays, quality rollovers or miscommunication. In fact, as long as these five key questions are clear before cooperation – such as “how much actual production capacity?” “How to solve the quality problem?” – you can avoid 80% of the minefields. At the end of the article, we also prepared a practical pit avoidance list to help you easily get the first OEM cooperation!
Why does “first time Foundry” need this list of questions?
Pain point resonance: Are you also worried that the first time to find a foundry is like “opening a blind box” – the surface looks reliable, and the actual cooperation only finds insufficient capacity, unstable quality, and even communication difficulties? It’s not your delusion. According to industry data, 70% of enterprises have suffered from “poor information” for the first time, either cost overruns or delivery delays, and finally can only pay for themselves.
Expert Value: Don’t panic! This list of questions is your guide to avoiding pitfalls. We help you break down complex OEM cooperation into five core questions, such as “How much can you actually produce a day?” “Is the inspection process transparent?” After asking these points, you can quickly judge whether the foundry is reliable and worth long-term cooperation.
The “invisible threshold” of the first OEM cooperation – experts interpret the 3 major problems that customers are most worried about
When looking for a foundry for the first time to cooperate, have you also encountered such a situation: clearly when visiting it looks well-equipped and large, but after real cooperation, you find that various problems come one after another? Today we’re going to dismantle the 3 most easily trodden invisible thresholds for beginners, so that you can perfectly avoid the pit before you cooperate.
Threshold 1: Does the foundry have “my product” production experience?
Misunderstanding: When many buyers choose a factory for the first time, they are always easy to be attracted by spacious factories and advanced equipment, but they ignore a fatal problem – does this factory really do such products as ours?
Expert advice: Ask the other party to provide the 3 most similar OEM cases, and on-site inspection of their finished product quality. Remember, size does not equal expertise, and the right fit is the best.
Threshold 2: Will quality/delivery control be lost after cooperation?
Case: A new skin care brand found a large daily chemical factory, the result: filling accuracy is not up to standard resulting in capacity differences.
Expert advice: The “qualified” standards of many foundries may be much lower than you expect. It is recommended to specify in the contract:
Raw material acceptance standard
- Sampling proportion of production process
- Final acceptance of AQL standard
- Compensation scheme for defective products
- Practical tips: Ask to reserve 5% of the balance as a quality deposit, to be paid 30 days after receiving the goods.
Threshold 3: How can hidden costs be avoided?
List common “pits” : mold fee attribution, minimum order quantity (MOQ) traps, etc.
• Mold fee trap: After an intelligent hardware startup invested 200,000 yuan in mold opening, it was found that the foundry buried a clause of “mold ownership belongs to the manufacturer” in the contract, resulting in the inability to replace the foundry.
• The MOQ (minimum order quantity) trick: the contract says “support small batch trial production”, but it says “the first batch is not less than 50,000 pieces”.
List of 5 core questions – Question strategies that directly reduce the risk of collaboration
Question 1: Are there any successful cases with the same type/material as my product?
Expert analysis:
• Request specific case data (e.g., yield, capacity)
• Beware of “vague answer”, on-site factory inspection or video inspection line is required
Question 2: How long is the complete process cycle from proofing to mass production?
Expert analysis:
• Distinguish between “standard process” and “flexible space” and identify bottlenecks (e.g. raw material purchase cycle)
• The contract is marked with “Factory delay clause”
Question 3: Specific implementation standards and responsibility for quality control?
Expert analysis:
• Required written QC process (e.g. IPQC, FQC node)
• Clarify rework/liability for nonconforming products (key)
Q4: What are the hidden costs included in the quotation? (with required verification form)
List of experts:
• Ownership of mold fees (exclusive buyout/allocation)
• Packaging/logistics is extra
The party responsible for the cost of engineering change (ECN)
Q5: How can I protect my intellectual property rights and product confidentiality?
Expert advice:
• Must sign NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) and indicate the penalty for breach of contract
• Verify that the plant has separate production lines or isolated production areas
Beyond questions – Additional advice from industry experts
The “3 Yes, 3 no” communication rule:
Record all commitments in writing and don’t rely solely on verbal agreements
It is necessary to clarify the decision-making authority of the docking person, and do not pull repeatedly with the personnel without real power
Key points of contract avoidance:
Must include terms: quality dispute arbitration method, cooperation termination clause
Long-term cooperation signal:
Observe whether the foundry actively asks you about your market positioning and user needs (reflecting the depth of service)
Cosmetics OEM cooperation is not a simple “order production”, but a long-term game related to brand reputation and product safety. Through these 5 core questions, you can quickly identify the true strength of the plant and avoid deadly risks such as formula leakage, quality rollover, and cost runaway. Remember, professional foundries never shy away from details – dare to let you inspect the factory, dare to provide data, dare to sign a strict confidentiality agreement, is a reliable partner. In the case of Bonnieco, its strict adherence to GMP standards and transparent production processes are the benchmark of quality fountainers: from the stability testing of active ingredients to the control of color differences in packaging materials, every link can stand up to the inspection of these five core issues. Factories that dare to open laboratory data, provide complete filing support, and sign third-level confidentiality agreements like Bonnieco are trusted partners.
