If you have been entertaining the thought of starting a new business or your own product line, most probably, the idea of finding suppliers to purchase raw materials from or manufacturing companies that you can partner with have also crossed your mind. With the growing number of products that have become in-demand in the market right now (like dietary supplements, cosmetics, and skincare, gummies, CBD products), many startups have somehow started brainstorming and putting to work some of their ideas.
However, choosing the right manufacturing partner for your business can pose a real challenge – especially if you don’t know what it is that you are looking for. This lack of knowledge may lead to a partnership with the wrong supplier that may result in poor product quality, product returns, shipping delays, unsatisfied customers, or even worse.
5 Things to Look for in a Manufacturing Company
So, what really makes a good manufacturer? Below, we’ve outlined the five key factors that you have to consider when you begin your search for the best manufacturing company to help you custom your formulation and develop your next products.
1. Location (Overseas or Domestic)
One of the first things that you have to consider upon starting a new product line is whether you would want to have your products manufactured overseas or domestically. Traditionally, countries like China and India have been known to produce cosmetics at the lower end of the quality scale primarily because of their access to cheaper manufacturing costs (such as raw materials and labor).1
However, if you would want to ensure the quality that your consumers get from your products, there are a number of manufacturers that use the highest quality ingredients that your product deserves. Some of them are located in California (Riverside or San Bernardino), Long Island, NY, and Apex, NC and in many other parts of the United States.
2. Reliability
Obviously, you wouldn’t opt for suppliers who can’t meet your production timetables, right? Therefore, when deciding what manufacturing company would you like to partner with, consider their past history with other customers. When their delivery times are quite long and deadlines were often missed, then maybe you can already get a picture of how their partnership with you would turn out.
3. Certifications
Another way to assess the reliability of your prospected manufacturing company is to check the certifications that it has: like ISO certification, FDA registration, Cruelty-free International, and HACCP certification. It’s always best to have these legitimate documents than just fake promises and claims. With these certifications, you can be certain that the manufacturing company is consistent with their performance and that have well-documented processes in getting things done.
4. Culture Fit
Identifying the manufacturing company that you think you can work well with takes a lot of time and effort. To avoid wasting these precious resources, look into as well how compatible your values and beliefs are with that of the company. Look through their goals as manufacturers are aligned with yours. What kind of companies does this manufacturer typically work with? What is their minimum order quantity? How transparent are they with their quote? Are they into animal testing? Do they strictly adhere to FDA guidelines? 2
Aside from product quality and manufacturing capabilities, it is particularly important to see if you are a culturally fit partner with your chosen manufacturing company. With the demands of the market, some of these big manufacturers would not prioritize smaller buyers which may result in frequent production delays. Hence, before signing the deal with the manufacturing company, learn first if they are willing to work with you and the terms that you have.
5. Manufacturing Capabilities and Processing equipment
Most importantly, when inspecting potential manufacturers, make sure to see if the equipment that they are using to process ingredients and create products is up-to-date. Do they utilize high-speed equipment and the latest packaging technology for counting, filling, capping, and sealing the products that they manufacture? Are their production team skilled enough to handle all the manufacturing processes need in producing the products (from creation to printing to labeling, shrink wrapping to outer packaging)?
Why Choose The Omnium Group?
Unparalleled quality and excellence have always been the core of The Omnium Group. Knowing how our partners value their consumers, we always make sure to step up to their manufacturing and production needs. That’s why we made sure that our facilities in Hauppauge, New York, Apex, North Carolina, and Huntington Beach, California are FDA registered.
The products that we make (skincare, cosmetics, topicals, supplements, cannabinoids, gummies, and beverages) are free from harsh chemicals, gluten-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free, and vegan. We have in-house Environmental Chambers that provide multiple capabilities to create repeated environmental conditions for numerous applications including product shelf life, stability and packaging testing, light exposure and temperature evaluation studies, photostability, and TAPPI testing. We also use high-performance HPLC to identify, quantify, and purify compounds – to easily detect impurities through the production of your products.
At The Omnium Group, we also offer custom formulation and product development. Our team of qualified chemists and technicians can professionally tailor products to your specifications, vision, as well as your budget. We would be happy to discuss further how we can work together to put into realization the new product line or business that you have been long planning to start. Contact us here and we will walk you through everything else that you need to know about our manufacturing processes and how we can work with your brand.
References:
1 Why China is the “World’s Factory”. Investopedia: Economics. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/102214/why-china-worlds-factory.asp
2 https://www.registrarcorp.com/fda-guidelines/?lead_source=Google%20Ad&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=fda%20regulations&utm_content=114954786954&utm_campaign=11453632249&matchtype=p&device=c&gclid=CjwKCAjw95yJBhAgEiwAmRrutEy0HyEEHa4ctGFH7YTva_zuqqy475OUS6lm7W1hg1SCAKBGA_kssBoCLZwQAvD_BwE