Your CAD looks finished. Is it ready for tooling?
You have a working prototype of a coffee machine, kitchen appliance or fitness product, and no manufacturing team. Sourcing Allies does consumer product manufacturing in China and Vietnam for founders like you. We check your design before any mould is cut, then source, assemble, inspect and ship the finished product.
Tooling is the most expensive place to find a design flaw
A prototype proves your product works. It doesn't prove a factory can mould, cast and assemble it thousands of times with the same result. Most first-time founders find the gaps after paying for tooling: walls that are too thick, missing draft, tolerances that stack up across parts, a board that stops fitting once the housing shrinks. The tools get redone and the delivery date slips.
- 01
Fix it on the drawing, not in the steel
We check your CAD and BOM for materials, tolerances, draft angles and assembly order. Changes happen before tooling money is spent.
- 02
Compliance in the same review
Testing and certification requirements for your target markets go into the engineering review, so they shape the design before it's locked.
- 03
Your intent, in the factory's terms
We translate between how you specify a part and how a factory owner reads a drawing and sets priorities, so the first samples match what you meant.
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A plan you can show investors
The review ends with a per-unit cost and lead time based on real supplier quotes. You see both before you commit investor money.
Many parts, many suppliers. One of us to answer for them.
The espresso machine we took to volume had 200+ components from 18 suppliers. Housings, castings, frames, boards and fasteners each come from a different process and a different factory. You shouldn't have to chase every one of them across time zones. That coordination is our job, whether it's a small appliance or a connected device that needs consumer electronics manufacturing in China.
Before any factory gets an order, we confirm it's the real manufacturer and not a trading company. We audit staff size, machines, working conditions, worker safety, social responsibility, process control and management structure. Our bilingual delivery managers are based in Ningbo and visit the factories in person.
Injection-moulded housings and tanks that fit first time, because draft and wall thickness were fixed in review.
Cast and forged metal parts that hold their tolerances across the whole run.
Stamped, fabricated and extruded frames that line up on the assembly jig.
Controllers, heaters and harnesses from vetted suppliers, so you don't have to hunt for them yourself.
Final assembly and test, with pressure testing where the product needs it, so units arrive ready to sell.
Built by specialists in China. Shipped to you.
1M+ products shippedIn Asia since 2006Offices in Stockholm, Ningbo and Seattle
Five steps, with a go/no-go decision after each
Founders worry most about spending months and then finding out it won't work. So every step ends with a clear decision before you spend more. We plan backward from your launch date and put Chinese New Year and Golden Week into the schedule from day one.
- 01
01 Engineering review
We check your CAD and BOM for manufacturability and compliance. You get a costed plan with lead times, then decide whether to go ahead.
- 02
02 Multi-supplier sourcing
We find, audit and quote a supplier for every component. You know who makes each part before you place an order.
- 03
03 Tooling and samples
Moulds and custom parts are made and the first articles are checked against the drawings. Production doesn't start until you sign off the sample.
- 04
04 Assembly and QC
We set up the line and jigs, then inspect during the build and at the end. The first batch has to match the sample you approved. See how we run assembly and quality control.
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05 Logistics
Freight-ready packaging and customs documents, so units arrive undamaged and ready to ship to customers. We can also store and fulfil orders.
Espresso machines and Pilates reformers, built and shipped
A funded startup had a working espresso machine prototype and no manufacturing partner. We sourced 200+ components across 18 suppliers, set up the assembly line, ran QC and managed logistics. 5,000 units shipped.
We sourced the frames, machined rails, springs, wheels and upholstery. Assembly used jigs with QC checks during the build, and we managed freight worldwide.
148 components from 72 suppliers in 6 countries. A full assembly line built from scratch and delivered on time, with one point of contact.
A good sample is one unit. Your backers are waiting for thousands. That's why we use assembly jigs and run QC checks during the build, so the last unit matches the first.
Know your cost, risks and timeline before you pay for tooling
Each answer below is something you should know before money goes into steel.
How do I know if my product design is ready for tooling?
You find out in an engineering review before tooling. Sourcing Allies checks your CAD and BOM for manufacturability: materials, wall thickness, draft angles, tolerances across mating parts and assembly order. We also add the compliance requirements for your markets. Problems get fixed on the drawing, not after moulds are cut, and you get a per-unit cost and lead time before you commit money.
Can you handle CE or UL certification for a consumer product?
Yes, but we deal with certification during design, not after it. Consumer products face more certification requirements than most things we build. So Sourcing Allies adds the testing and compliance requirements for your target markets during engineering review, before the design is locked. We then support testing and certification through production, so compliance doesn't force a late redesign.
What is the MOQ for a kitchen appliance made in China?
The minimum order quantity for a kitchen appliance depends on how complex it is and how much tooling it needs. A simple housing-and-electronics assembly can usually run at lower volumes than a multi-component appliance, which needs a longer run to justify its tooling. Send Sourcing Allies your BOM and we'll give you a real number based on quotes from actual suppliers.
Do you work with fitness equipment manufacturers in China?
Yes. Sourcing Allies has built a Pilates reformer line. We sourced the frames, machined rails, springs, wheels and upholstery, then ran jig-based assembly with QC checks during the build and shipped worldwide. Our fitness equipment work uses the same die casting, metal fabrication, aluminium extrusion and plastic moulding processes as the rest of our consumer product manufacturing.
Will a Chinese factory copy my product design?
We protect your design with contracts and by controlling who gets your files. Sourcing Allies signs an NDA on every project and contracts through legal entities in Sweden, the US and China, so you have recourse. We confirm each supplier is the real manufacturer and not a trading company, so you always know who holds your files and who makes each part.
Can you ship my Kickstarter or Indiegogo units on time?
We've done it before. Sourcing Allies has shipped Kickstarter and Indiegogo projects on time and runs a Fast-Track programme for crowdfunded and investor-backed launches. We plan backward from your promised delivery date and allow for Chinese New Year and Golden Week. If the date isn't realistic, we tell you at the engineering review, not after tooling.
Should I manufacture in China or Vietnam?
It depends on your product, margins and timeline. There's no blanket answer. Sourcing Allies works with factories in China, Vietnam and India, and many products end up sourcing from more than one country. Moving complex production takes time, and many alternative hubs still rely on inputs made in China, so we plan for tariff changes rather than just picking a country.
Do I need a sourcing partner for one simple part?
Usually not. A consumer product contract manufacturer like Sourcing Allies is most useful when there's a lot to coordinate: dozens of suppliers, several processes and a full assembly line. For a single simple or commodity part, a partner adds cost without much benefit, and we'll tell you that.
What goes into a consumer product
Bring your prototype and your deadline
Send us your CAD and BOM, or just describe the product. We'll go through what it takes to build it at volume, where the design risks are and whether we're the right partner for it. We sign an NDA on every project.
Offices in Bellevue WA, Djursholm and Ningbo · Factories in China, Vietnam and India · Over 1 million products shipped
A drawing, a sketch or a paragraph is enough to start.