You might think that you’ll save money and time by having your blow molded part made by a local supplier. This is a common misconception, based solely on the freight costs involved in getting your parts shipped from the supplier.
While it’s true that a shorter distance means lower freight costs, shipping costs alone don’t tell the whole story. A full-service supplier that offers superior quality, more innovation, and a greater variety of services — even if they’re in another state — can more than make up for any increased freight costs.
Here are a few ways a larger full-service blow molding supplier can save you money over a smaller local one.
A lower per-unit price
Your local blow molding supplier likely thinks they’re the only game in town. Because of this, they have no reason to remain competitive in their pricing. In the same way that you pay 30% more for a pack of gum at the airport than you ever would at the grocery store, your local molder will often have a higher per-unit price than their competitors.
A superior product
We often hear from customers whose local suppliers have let them down when it comes to quality. Though you may want to go local for food or flowers, when it comes to blow molding, it’s much more important to pick the best source.
Smaller blow molders can’t always make the investments in the technologies and new innovations that make for a high-quality product. That means you might be relying on equipment and processes that are past their prime.
Lower distribution costs
It seems counter-intuitive, but you often end up paying more in distribution costs when you choose smaller companies, even if they’re just a few miles from you. Though your product will be near you, your customers most likely aren’t. With a smaller supplier, you are responsible for these extras:
- Either high costs for the small molder to manage all post-production activities when they aren’t optimized for efficient distribution OR the cost of shipping or moving the product from the blow molder to your distribution center
- The cost of storing your product (usually in varying amounts for varying periods of time)
- The cost of distributing your product to your customers, frequently without the deep discounts available to larger shippers
On the other hand, by using a turnkey blow molding supplier with expertise in distribution, your product is distributed from the same location where it’s manufactured. While there are costs associated with storing and distributing your product, they are far less than paying for each service piecemeal.
Slower distribution
You don’t just save money distributing from a turnkey supplier. You also eliminate the time and hassle of shipping your product to one location just to turn around and ship it again to your customers.
A turnkey blow molding supplier is much better equipped to ship your product out efficiently and cost-effectively. We are able to send out send out 100 truckloads of product in a single day. Shipments may contain multiple product combinations arranged to provide sequential unloading, which will make your life easier. A local supplier is unlikely to have that kind of capacity, which means sometimes your products or your customers will have to wait.
There you have it – why you should consider a more capable turnkey blow molding supplier over the local shop.
Looking for more on choosing the right blow molding supplier for you? Check out our blog on qualities you should look for in your supplier.