Manufacturing 101 - Your Guide To A Smooth Manufacturing Process

The manufacturing of your products is one of the most important steps in your brand journey, so choosing where to manufacture your collections is key. 

With recent events many consumer habits have changed, with a shift to more online shopping and to people preferring to purchase locally produced products. These are things we advise you to keep in mind when choosing your manufacturer. 

Indeed 23% of adults are shopping more from local businesses since the pandemic, and 54% of adults agree they will buy more from local businesses after this experience. Interesting right? 

But it’s not all about the consumer habits, it's also about what you want, the quality you expect and the capabilities of the manufacturer.

So where should you manufacture? 

First things first, before getting into bed with any manufacturer, ask for their service offerings, for visibility on the brands they have worked with, and for proof of any certifications. This will allow you to see the outcome of a product that has been produced with them and to see if the factory, and the product, are up to your standards. 

MANUFACTURING IN THE UK VS ABROAD

The first dilemma a new brand is usually faced with is whether to produce abroad or locally, so let’s look at the pros and cons for each of them. 

As a British brand the pros of manufacturing in the UK would be that it is easier to communicate and control the process locally, meaning that there will be less risk and delays in production due to miscommunications. Manufacturing in the UK also means more flexibility in terms of MOQs because the factories are often smaller and allow for smaller MOQs. Another advantage is that the delivery costs and wait times will be minor, since you will be designing, producing and selling in the same country. Finally you will have the ‘Made in UK’ label, which is a good selling point for some consumers. 

However producing in the UK can be costly, as labour costs are a lot higher and therefore so are production costs. 

Manufacturing overseas seems to be the first thing a brand thinks of when wanting to produce for as little money as possible. However the fact that the production costs will be lower (especially when producing in large quantities) does not necessarily mean that your total costs will be cheaper than producing in the UK, and there are some other factors that need to be taken into consideration. 

These factors include quality control, or the lack of it, because you cannot simply go to the factory as easily as if it were in the UK (with COVID19 this is even more relevant because you cannot travel at all);

Communication because of language barriers, or the fact that you will rarely communicate face to face.

Logistics due to increased shipping times. If you are having samples made overseas, you will have to allow for the courier costs of sending raw materials/toiles/samples back and forth. 

And finally, if you are looking for a manufacturer to place a small order, the cost will be higher and they may not even accept you because often MOQs are much higher than in the UK.

SAVING VS SPENDING

The next thing to consider when manufacturing your collection is where to spend the money and where to save it. When looking at the product cycle there seems to be many different elements, meaning a lot of spending, but here is where we believe you should spend and where you can save: 

Where you should spend:

Experienced manufacturer: Finding the right partner who already has the skill set, or who has worked with brands that are similar to yours, because they will have the necessary expertise. Even if this means spending more money in the beginning, you will save it in the long run because it will not take as long to get the product right.

Manufacturing locally: You will be more in control over the process and you can catch a problem before it gets too late, this will also help with your brand transparency.

Testing: Test a small production run to try out your concept before producing a bigger run (reminder: the less you produce, the higher the cost per unit)

Fabrics: Invest in fabrics that are well accredited, whether they are antimicrobial or chlorine tested (depending on the product you are trying to build). It is better to spend more on a better fabric that will last longer because you will get better quality products that will encourage customer loyalty.

Where you can save:

Collection size: Not launching such a big collection because the consumer is driven by innovation and newness so it is better to start with small collections and build clever capsules.

Sourcing location: Being mindful of where you’re buying from, so if your main market is in the UK and you’re working with a UK manufacturer then are they sourcing locally or using repurposed fabrics that would otherwise go into landfill? Or are they buying from europe? meaning there will also be the expense of shipping.

Number of fabrics: Not going to market with too many fabric choices because that will mean a higher raw material commitment, so be clever about how you build the collection so that it’s more formulaic.
Exclusive, inclusive launches: If you want to build an inclusive brand that offers a wider size range, make sure that you can work with a partner who has small minimums per size so you can really test the size and make sure it works commercially. Spend more money on building your size range but test it on a small quantity to save you the returns long term.