Aluminum Casting – What You Should Keep in Mind When Sourcing from China?

Aluminum casting is a process of manufacturing different shapes and designs of aluminum. It involves melting aluminum and pouring it into a mold, following which is cooled. The result is a specific shape or design of cool aluminum depending on the mold. It's one of the most popular manufacturing processes for a number of reasons. Firstly, its accuracy is incredibly high, and a diverse array of designs can be created by utilizing it. Also, it's a manufacturing process that is completely automated in the modern world, which ensures the production of complex shapes and designs can be completed rapidly.

In recent years, businesses that require aluminum casting have turned to China for their sourcing needs. You're probably already aware that China is referred to as the "factory of the world". The country boasts of numerous manufacturing hubs and you can pick from a wide array of options when it comes to manufacturers specializing in aluminum casting. However, due to the sheer number of manufacturers in China, it can get quite complicated to shortlist the best manufacturers to source from.

In this post, we'll take you through all the considerations you need to make when sourcing aluminum casting from China. Read on to find out the recommended steps.

Considerations to make when sourcing aluminum casting from China

• Casting quality: Quality is the most important consideration when sourcing casting product from China. If the manufacturer and/or supplier can't provide quality, it will impact your business negatively. And you don't want to disappoint your customers, do you? So, before you choose to approach a certain manufacturer to source casting, we recommend visiting the websites of the most reputable manufacturers. Across these websites, you'll find a lot of relevant information that will tell you about the quality control processes of the manufacturers. Some of the most commonly followed quality control and testing procedures used by casting manufacturers include lab testing using equipment such as spectrometer, dimensional measurement, microstructure testing, and tensile testing.
• Quality of staff on site: We already mentioned that aluminum casting has become an automated process. However, to automate the manufacturing process, engineers and staff members are required to operate the machinery. And it's important to ensure that the employees employed by the manufacturers are earnest and committed to their work. If a manufacturing company has incompetent staff, it is quite likely to affect the production process and may lead to delays. We recommend engaging a product sourcing agent or a procurement agent to conduct on-site inspections across different manufacturer's factories to find out more about their employees.
• Experience: If a manufacturer is new, the chances of mistakes being made during the production process are higher. However, the experience of a manufacturer is a double-edged sword. While errors in the production process may be higher in brand new manufacturing companies, the prices charged by them may be much more competitive than what the most experienced manufacturers charge. However, if you choose one of the most experienced manufacturers in China, you can rest assured when it comes to the quality of the products. These companies have been at it for years, if not decades, and they can even suggest changes in design for the benefit of your business.
• Production capabilities: This factor is an important consideration, especially if you need large product volumes of products manufactured consistently. If your requirements are high, you should approach manufacturers that have the infrastructure in place to produce large volumes. However, if you don’t have a high volume, you can approach the ones that have limited infrastructure. You should also ensure that the production capabilities of a manufacturer go hand-in-hand with the quality. Large product volumes that compromise on quality will not be any good for your business. Ideally, you should list how many products you need per day/week/month and then start looking for the right manufacturer.
• Delivery time: If the demand for your business' products are high, you should ensure that you work with a manufacturer that can deliver high product volumes rapidly without the quality being affected. Even if the demand for your aluminum casting products are low, it's never a bad idea to have products stockpiled in your inventory. This ensures that even if the demand for your products rises significantly within a short span of time, you have enough products on-hand to cater to the demands of customers.
• Ability to manufacture a diverse range of products: If your business sells different types of products that employ aluminum casting, you should ideally choose a manufacturer that has in-house tooling available. This ensures that multiple designs can be created at the same manufacturing site. There are several small-scale manufacturers who can produce a specific set of designs, and you can definitely consider sourcing products from them if your product range isn't diversified. But if it is, we recommend choosing one of the bigger manufacturers.

• Infrastructure for performing finishing operations: All aluminum casting products have some imperfections and it's important to patch up those imperfections through certain finishing operations. Some of the most common finishing operations to enhance the look and feel of the products include powder coating, anodizing, wet painting, sandblasting, chromating, etc. While the most reputable manufacturers have the necessary infrastructure in place to perform these finishing operations, smaller scale manufacturers don't. While the choice of whether or not you want the products to be sourced in their finished state lies with you, we recommend choosing a manufacturer that can undertake the finishing operations. Doing this will ultimately give you higher-quality products at affordable prices.
• Your budget: Ultimately, it all boils down to how much money you will be able to spend without putting a dent in your business' finances. If your budget is high, we recommend seeking out highly regarded manufacturers in the business. While the prices charged by such manufacturers would most likely be on the higher side, you'll be delivered high-quality products in large volumes while in a timely manner. However, if your budget is on the lower side, feel free to reach out to smaller scale manufacturers. You may have to take a hit in terms of product quality and volume, but it's good enough to get you going. Of course, feel free to move on to a bigger manufacturer once your business becomes profitable.

How do I find the best aluminum casting manufacturers in China?

There are several ways in which you can approach manufacturers of aluminum casting products in China. One of the most common ways to find out about manufacturers and suppliers in China is to look up websites such as Alibaba and other China-based e-commerce platforms. You'll be able to find contact details of most reputable manufacturers in China across these platforms and should be able to get in touch with them with your requirements.

One thing you must remember is that you shouldn’t only rely on virtual lines of communication with the potential manufacturers you want to source products from. If possible, you should visit China in-person to find out more about the manufacturers and their production capabilities. It's also important to pay attention to the quality of the manufacturer's production processes and the engineers employed.

To be honest, doing all this work can be quite daunting and time-consuming, especially if your business has only just been established. Instead of visiting China yourself, we recommend reaching out to a high-quality procurement agent or product sourcing agent. Sourcing agents are experts in brokering deals between manufacturers and businesses. While you'll have to pay them separately for their services, they will ensure that the interests of your business are maintained.

Sourcing agents also act as supervisors. For example, if you can't make it to China in-person to supervise the manufacturer's production processes, the sourcing agent will do it on your behalf. The agent will also convey your messages and complaints to the manufacturer. In fact, it's much better that you hire a sourcing agent to participate in discussions on your behalf. This is due to the fact that the agent will be well-versed in Mandarin - China's official language. The agent will also be fluent in English, which means that they can translate any message that the manufacturer may have for you.

Sourcing agents are also responsible for coordinating with the managers, suppliers, and of course, you. They can ensure that the products ordered by you are produced keeping in mind the industry standards and are delivered in a timely manner.

So, if you want the aluminum casting products to have the best quality with every order, heed our advice and engage a sourcing agent. Trust us, the benefits you'll enjoy will be prolific in the long run.

Conclusion

In conclusion to this post, we'd like to say that all the factors we stated here have to be considered thoroughly before you select a particular manufacturer to choose from. It is recommended to conduct thorough market research to shortlist the best manufacturers for your requirements. Once you've shortlisted the potential candidates, approach them one by one. Be attentive in regards to their behavior. It's best to filter out manufacturing companies who make exaggerated claims during your very first interaction. Instead, give more attention to manufacturing companies whose representatives communicate in a transparent and fair manner.

We'd also like to highlight the importance of sourcing agents before we bring this post to a close. We've already covered the various roles that these agents perform, and conceivably you now see how valuable they can be to your business. The biggest benefit of hiring a sourcing agent is that he will do all the discussions and deals with manufacturers on your behalf. This will give you time to focus on running your business and improving its weaknesses.

Sourcing Allies is a team of expert China sourcing agents that has helped western customers manufacture and source products from low-cost regions since 2006.

For more on China sourcing visit our website or write to us at info@sourcingallies.com.