In our 12 years of building products, we have worked with hundreds of manufacturers, and this is not an exaggeration. We failed on many occasions by choosing the wrong production partners due to our inexperience.
Choosing the right partner is the key to successful future collaboration. Below are a few key factors to consider when deciding whom to work with. Choosing Flexhouse means you can rely on us to make the correct decisions and team up with a series of partners to build a supply chain for your product. However, if you want to pursue this on your own, use the guidelines below, which we work with daily.
Capacity
Production partners can range from skilled craftsmen to large factories full of automation. You need to have a budget and understand how many units you plan to sell in the short term and long term. If you choose a small factory and soon their capacity is too small, you will run into problems. If you go to a larger player, launch your product, but then try to order very little, you will lose their interest, your price will double, and again you will run into problems.
Flexhouse works with small, medium, and larger plants. We try to kick off projects with medium factories, ensuring flexibility even if sales take time to scale.
Never over-promise. Be frank and match your budget with the right manufacturing size.
Quality
The market is saturated with mass-manufactured items. You need to determine your niche: mass market, medium-end, or luxury goods. Selecting the right partner requires aligning your product quality with their expertise.
At Flexhouse, we focus on medium and high-end products, never entering the mass market. We carefully assess manufacturers' portfolios to ensure consistency in quality.
Key takeaway: If a manufacturer typically produces lower-end products, they won’t magically improve for your project without significant effort.
Communication
Are you having a good dialogue with your partner? Transparency in communication is one of the key metrics for success. Problems will arise during production, and only direct honesty will support problem-solving.
Through trial and error, we learned that a professional dialogue is non-negotiable. Choosing a manufacturer with strong communication ensures a smoother production process and a reliable supply chain.
Contract
Always sign a contract, even a simple one, but have it in writing. We have faced lead time delays, last-minute price increases, and quality issues—clear documentation prevents misunderstandings.
At Flexhouse, we provide 2D CADs, 3D models, box blueprints, label graphics, NDAs, contracts, and QAPs to ensure transparency and protection.
After-Sales Service
At Flexhouse, we say that a claim is more important than a purchase order. A claim means a customer is unhappy, and our goal is to resolve issues quickly.
Finding the root of a problem and acting fast reduces further issues and leads to stronger customer trust. Yes, it costs money, but this is an investment in long-term success.
Bottom line: How you react to bad news speaks to your brand’s strength.