You send a manufacturer your CAD files, drawings, specifications, and requirements and expect the next step to be fairly simple: they review everything, tell you what it will cost, and provide a lead time.
Instead, they come back with a long list of questions.
For buyers eager to get a project moving, that can feel like the manufacturer is slowing things down. In reality, the opposite may be true.
In this episode of China Manufacturing Decoded, Adrian is joined by our contract manufacturing subsidiary, Agilian Technology’s, Paul Adams to explain why experienced manufacturers ask so many questions before giving firm answers or quotations.
They discuss what manufacturers are trying to understand about your product, including its function, operating environment, mating parts, tolerances, materials, production volumes, surface finishes, and inspection criteria.
Paul also explains how assumptions can become embedded in a product specification and ultimately lead to higher costs, unnecessary rejection rates, rework, tooling modifications, delays, or products that do not perform as expected.
As Paul puts it:
“Smart questions at the start are cheaper than solving problems at the end.”
Listen here
Listen to the episode or watch on YouTube
Podcast sections
- 00:13 – Introduction: Why do experienced manufacturers ask so many questions before quoting?
- 02:39 – Why manufacturers need to ask questions before giving firm answers
- 07:37 – What manufacturers need to understand about your product
- 10:29 – Mating parts, fit, and tolerance stack-ups
- 12:45 – Why inspection and cosmetic criteria must be specific
- 16:25 – What happens when important questions are skipped?
- 20:26 – How assumptions lead to failures, rework, and extra cost
- 24:51 – What buyers should provide when requesting a quotation
- 27:10 – Why detailed 2D drawings, finishes, welding, and CTQs matter
- 30:13 – How experienced manufacturers ask better questions
- 35:28 – Managing component lead times during development
- 38:59 – Smart questions at the start are cheaper than problems at the end
- 41:36 – Why silence from either side is a warning sign
- 43:01 – Using questions to evaluate a manufacturer’s capability
- 45:37 – Key takeaway: good questions reduce manufacturing risk
You might also like…
- How To Get A Quotation For Manufacturing Your New Product?
- The New Product Introduction Process Guide
- DfX, Industrialization & NPI Support from Agilian
- Plastic Injection Molds: 8 Tips For When Requesting Quotes
- Questions to Ask Your Tooling and Plastic Supplier to Reduce Risks
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