Sourcing Issues

Once you have your product and you are ready to have it produced, be careful. Being careful not only where you source the product BUT mpore important who you source the product with. The finding of a source must include a number of parameters. First they must meet your cost criteria. Second they must meet your quality criteria. Third they must have the ability to meet and exceed your production expectations. Fourth they must be reliable and easy to work with. Fifthe they must be able to meet your delivery dates. If you find vendors who can meet these criteria then use them BUT before you choose insure you have quotes from a number of sources and you have visited the finalist in all cases. Making a decision on a source strictly from verbal or written communication could be a grave msitake. This is true regardless of the location of the vendor. The location be it in your country or overseas is not to be selected without a visit. If you are dealing in a foreign country you should also have a contact outside the company and an agent who could watch out for your well being when you are not there. If there are any concerns on your part I would suggest that you are present when production begons on your product and visit for a number of days thereafter to isnure that the quality you saw was not just a show piece for your inital reaction. If the product is being run on more than one shift I would recommend you visit all the shifts to insure consistancy. You do not want to hear, "oh, that happened on the third shift." Follow these simple rules and your product will look and act like you wanted it too, do not and you get what you deserve-trouble and problems that could ruin your business. Remember it is not only about the lowest price, it is about the best total cost.