How to Find Private Label Manufacturers – Supplyia?
Every time an innovator builds a brand, they ask how to private label manufacturers to make their brand. Innovating, designing, and researching is just the beginning of developing a product.
Any great product won’t succeed if it can’t be made at scale and at a price you can afford.
Making a new product is a process, just like everything else. It’s important for startups and established companies to find a private label manufacturer partner for your products with the correct people and processes.
But don’t worry, it’s the same for every physical product. You may find the following tips helpful in finding a manufacturer to make your products on time, within budget, and to the customer’s satisfaction.
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It’s Not Just Making Stuff That Manufacturers Do
Manufacturing private label product isn’t just about putting your product together. They take your design and make it into something you can use. You don’t have to worry about the manufacturer sourcing all your raw materials, off-the-shelf parts, and hardware.
To name a few, they’ve got to set up a manufacturing process, test their product, and hire skilled workers. There’s a lot to do, and that’s why choosing the right manufacturer is so critical.
Although referrals from peers are great, you shouldn’t rely on them solely to find a private label manufacturer for your business. Referrals are good, but each manufacturer has its own perks and ways to make it happen.
Don’t just rely on their salespeople for your decision. Even though they’re nice and knowledgeable, they won’t run the production process.
What is the Difference Between a Manufacturer Brand and a Private Brand?
When you decide to produce under your own brand, your manufacturer may ask you to choose between “own brand” and “white label“. These options allow you to place the company brand on the product, but there are differences between the two labels.
As a private label, you have the exclusive right to sell goods purchased from the manufacturer. This exclusivity allows you to change the design, color, parts, or dimensions of the product.
As manufacturer brand, you buy generic drugs from the manufacturer, rename them, and sell them as your own brand. It is cheaper than purchasing private label products, but you don’t have much say in how they are made. The only things you can define are packaging, labels, and branding.
Therefore, private label can give you more control over your products. Moreover, the cost of purchasing private-label products is higher, but if they are marketed properly, they may bring huge profits. Here are some private label brands examples.
Where Do I Find Private Label Manufacturers?
1. Alibaba
Alibaba connects you with manufacturers from China. It’s a common marketplace to find existing products, but you can also use Alibaba to connect with manufacturers to create custom products. Simply search for the products you’re looking for and browse through the various suppliers and manufacturers.
2. Free Online Directories
Another place to find a private label manufacturer for your brand is free online supplier directories.
These directories act as manufacturer catalogs that contain profiles for hundreds or thousands of manufacturers, wholesalers, and suppliers.
Below, we’ve listed a few of the most popular ones for both domestic and overseas suppliers:
Online Domestic Directories
Online overseas directories
3. Google
In recent years, we’ve become accustomed to being able to easily search Google and find what we’re looking for in the first few search results.
However, many suppliers haven’t kept pace with the internet or Google’s algorithm changes. Their websites are usually old, sparse on information, and have poor search engine optimization.
So how do you find a manufacturer of a product on Google? For possibly the first time ever, you’ll need to explore page two of Google search results and beyond.
You’ll also want to use a variety of search terms. For example, words like:
“Private label manufactures ,”
“Private label manufactures USA,”
and “distributor” may be used interchangeably, so you should search for all of them.
It may help to make yourself familiar with Google’s search shortcuts to improve the quality of your searches and, thus, your results.
4. Referrals
Some of the best leads can come from referrals. Don’t be afraid to ask connections in your professional networks if they have any recommendations or if they know someone who might. Look for individuals who’ve found success in an area you’d like to pursue and see if they’re willing to share their contacts.
Social networks have made it much easier to get the word out, so make sure to use these channels. Join Facebook groups and other online communities of ecommerce business owners and see if anyone there has a glowing review.
As you do start to uncover suppliers, even if they aren’t the right fit for you, be sure to ask them if they can point you in the right direction. Being in the industry means they’ll likely have great contacts and would be happy to refer you to an option that might be a better fit.
5. NAICS Codes
How do you find out where a product is manufactured? A possible way is by searching for the NAICS code.
NAICS is the North American Industry Classification System, and pretty much every single manufacturing industry and product you can think of is attached to a NAICS code.
Sometimes manufacturers and suppliers list products by their NAICS code, which can make manufacturers and suppliers easier to find, especially if you’re using professional directories.
The NAICS directory can be found at your local library or online. Here is the link for the United States’ NAICS code and the link for Canada’s NAICS code.
You’ll also want to make sure you properly vet your potential manufacturer. Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few possibilities, dig deeper in your research to make sure they’re credible.
Check the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if there have been any complaints filed, browse the manufacturer’s Facebook page reviews, and use those Google search tricks to query the company name + reviews to see if any red flags come up.
You Should Ask These 10 Questions When Looking for A Private Label Manufacturer:
Because so much can go wrong, the verify supplier process is crucial when find a manufacturer of a product. Here are some import questions you can ask.
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How do you handle quality control?
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Do your employees and company have any certifications?
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Do you make anything in our industry?
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Is most of the production going to be done in-house, or will you have to outsource some?
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Does production cost go over what you’ve quoted?
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Who owns injection molds if they’re hard tooling?
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How much do you need for the minimum order?
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Will I be able to talk directly to the production manager in charge of my product?
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Do you have any reference companies in my industry or nearby?
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Who pays for rework or fixing the process if we don’t get what we expected?
You’ll have more confidence in the final product if you’re more specific with potential product manufacturers. Quality products will take longer to deliver if the manufacturer doesn’t communicate amenably and prompt.
Make sure you know how to make the specific components of many modern products. This often requires sophisticated technology and advanced skills. Manufacturers need to hire subcontractors who specialize in certain areas because of a new paradigm.
You’ll most likely get components from around the world no matter what manufacturer you choose. Make sure you understand their supply chain.
Lastly, when you decide how to find a private label manufacturer for your product, where you produce it might be the most crucial decision.
Overseas Sourcing Advantages And Disadvantages
You might be asking, “are manufacturer near me better to work with than overseas?” The answer is a bit complex.
So many U.S. companies manufacture their goods overseas because of the labor costs. It can also be a plus that there are so many overseas manufacturers, but it can be difficult to find the right one for you. China and other places offshore make a lot of stuff for a reason.
You can find overseas manufacturers on overseas directories like Alibaba, but you can’t always be sure that you’ll find them trustworthy and long-term partners.
There are many other Asian manufacturing countries with strong economies, so don’t just focus on China when other Asian countries are strong. Alternatively, you could nearshore in Mexico or another country in the Americas.
Even with a good overseas factory, there are a lot of issues to deal with:
from quality control to labor to intellectual property theft to sluggish shipping to payment disputes. There will also be import, customs, and compliance processes.
All of them have multiple steps and middlemen involved.
Frequent trips overseas cost money, and you have fewer opportunities to identify problems before making payments when you don’t have a local presence to oversee and manage the manufacturer.
Remote management can be hard, especially with time zone differences and language barriers.
No matters if you can visit the site personally regularly, a cultural barrier usually gets in the way.
What Risks Should You Consider When Choosing A Private Label Manufacturer?
As a small business, when find a private label supplement manufacturer of your brand, you certainly want to get your product to market as quickly as possible.
However, it’s important to make sure the companies you work with reflect your values and goals. Below are some of the potential risks you may face when entering into a manufacturing agreement.
Bad labor Practices
If your company asserts that it cares about its employees, you should ensure that this value extends to your manufacturing partners. Failure to do so creates a PR risk, even if there are no other issues. When Find a manufacturer partner abroad, find out how workers are paid, whether their working conditions are safe, and whether they comply with existing regulations.
Prevent Fraud
Some foreign manufacturers are based in countries where corruption is rampant, so do your homework. Ask to see the financials of potential partners and ask them to provide proof of other partners. By finding only experienced manufacturing companies and conducting regular audits, you can vet your partners to see if they are acting in good faith.
Intellectual-Property Theft
Your company’s intellectual property (IP) is important. It makes your product unique and differentiates you from your competitors. Unfortunately, there are countless stories of foreign companies misusing corporate intellectual property.
To prevent this, you can do things like use multiple suppliers to source your materials, trust only companies you already have a relationship with, and make sure your legal protections like contracts, patents, and trademarks are ironclad.
Finding The Right Private Label Manufacturers to Make Your Product
Small businesses make a big mistake when choosing a private label manufacturer partner too fast. You can finally get it on shelves after it’s designed. It might lead to long delays or failure if we hurry this decision. Ask questions, check references, and take your time. Ask them how they make your products.
You can also discuss your product design with their manufacturing engineers. If they say everything will be fine, you won’t have any problems. It’s hard to make stuff, and unless your manufacturers were involved in product design, they probably have some questions.
You likely need a partner who knows much about private label manufacturing since factory sourcing is crucial to product development. To ensure you get the best manufacturer for your product, they need to know what to look for. Sourcing agents can help. Choosing a sourcing agent, however, means you’ll be able to verify they’re independent and don’t get a kickback or commission.
Another option is trading companies. They fill your orders for you. Their job is to do all that for you and then charge you. You don’t have much control and end up paying more long-term with this type of sourcing. Still, it’s super fast and effortless.
Partnering Up With An Expert If You Want To Learn How To Fina Private Label Manufacturers and Make Your Product.
It’s also possible to work with companies like Supplyia to handle these things. Based in the China, we help companies and entrepreneurs develop products from idea to production, including research, design, and sourcing.
Take advantage of our global network of designers, engineers, and manufacturers. Once production starts, our local reps can make regular site visits to confirm the manufacturer delivers on what they promise.
We’ll update you throughout the production process with photos and reports. They speak the language and understand the culture, so you can build trust with them.
Knowing these vetted resources and having a network of them will save you a lot of time and hassle, along with expensive mistakes. While it can be risky to source overseas, you can be sure some reputable manufacturers will prioritize your needs.
No matter how eager you are finding private label manufacturers to make your product, take your enough time, ask questions, ask for references, and find a private label manufacturer assistant like Supplyia to help you through the whole process.
