edgentech

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Is it always cheaper to produce in China?

China is known as the “World Factory” and has the most complete industrial chain. In Europe, we see more and more imported products that are made in China, relatively cheaply, with quality improving noticeably in the last few years. This is encouraging and as a result an increasing number of European companies are industrializing their products in China.

Whilst this might be straightforward for an international company, who already have subsidiary branches in China with local Chinese employees, for startups and small companies, it’s altogether another matter. What makes it complicated? Often your entry point to the Chinese market will be via the web, most probably with a sales contact from Amazon, or AliExpress. Often therefore, you are dealing with import-export companies. For a business only dealing in mass production, or if your product is simple, an import-export company might be enough. However, if you need to do any R&D, and improve the existing products, then communication and negotiation can be a headache. Moreover, every technical modification will cost you time and money.  

Actually, these intermediate agencies play an opaque role between you and all the other suppliers. Most of the time, you don’t have any direct contact with your suppliers. This has considerable consequences. It results in a loss of efficiency: inappropriate technical expertise, miscommunication and endless discussions to and fro. An intermediate company can simply hinder your development. It is also complicated to capitalize on your work, for instance, getting access to technical documents or the supplier’s products source code is difficult and you need to start from scratch every time you change partners. Sometimes, it turns out that the industrialization becomes more costly in China for all these reasons.

Our advice

Always take control of your R&D and your suppliers, especially if you need to industrialize your products. The cost reduction will be obvious when you know who you are paying and what you are paying for.

If you are interested in forming a partnership to improve your IoT projects, do get in touch. We are based in Paris and Ningbo. We have a solid engineering and industrial background. We are fluent in French, Chinese and English. We keep everything transparent for you.

We aspire to excellence as technical and cultural facilitators for your projects.

Source By : https://www.edgen-tech.com/2021/08/01/is-it-always-cheaper-to-produce-in-china/

[edgentech]

Find the most adapted fast prototyping method for your product

Prototyping is a crucial step in product design. With the arrival of 3D printing, it materializes within hours.

First, you must choose the best prototyping method among the many (SLA, SLS, CNC, Silicone Mold etc). The dimension of your device, its geometric complexity and the mechanical resistance required, mean that different solutions are more or less well adapted. To help you decide here is our quick summary.

SLA (Stereolithographic) 3D printing, or resin 3D printing, has become vastly popular for its ability to produce high-accuracy, isotropic, and watertight prototypes. It uses light-reactive thermoset materials called “resin”.

SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) is another 3D printing technology belonging to the Powder Bed Fusion family. It’s a bit more expensive than SLA. Nylon can be used and products have a better mechanical consistent property (solid and flexible).

While 3D printing is well-known for its advantages in creating parts with high geometric complexity, it is often limited by the build volume (300mm for SLS). However, CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining, a fairly common subtractive technique for part creation, can reach big dimensions as the different pieces can be stuck together and remain robust.

Once your prototype is validated and you decide to go ahead for a sizable production, an injection mold is needed. Depending on the complexity of your product, with a budget starting around 2000€ it will take at least one month to produce such a mold. In terms of budget and time a silicone mold is more viable because typically it is much less expensive than an injection mold and can be reused 10 times. It is a good solution for small series production.

In short, there’s no one solution fits all. Everything depends on your design and your constraints. Luckily there’s always one for you, either cheap or fast or big or robust…

We are a team based in France and in China. We speak French, Chinese and English. Edgen Technology have a network of local fast prototyping suppliers and can accompany you in your product development.

Source By : https://www.edgen-tech.com/2021/12/27/fast-prototyping/

[edgentech]

Edgen Technology

We are a company specialized in supporting your IOT projects, whether in the prototyping or industrialization phase. With our 7 years of experience in electronics and telecommunications, we offer tailor-made services:

-- IOT advice on design, architecture, communication protocol, etc.

-- Identification of Chinese suppliers competent in EMS (electronics manufacturing services), machining and plastic injection

-- monitoring of your industrialization in China

For More Information please Visit: https://www.edgen-tech.com