Often, I get the question “Can we split the manufacturing somehow?” and what people mean by that is can we have the expensive parts done overseas and then finish the product domestically? The answer is “Maybe”, it really depends on what you’re making. Things that are cheap overseas are labor and electronics. So, for example if you were making an electric kitchen scale, electronics inside with a plastic body, sure, you could get the guts made overseas and then finish the product domestically. Would it be cheaper? Probably not.

Another route that people take is to have the mold made overseas, many people have walked this path but you really have to be sure of what you’re getting. More than once I’ve seen a mold lose it’s shape after just a 1000 shots. The other thing to consider is managing the risk. If you import a mold and you have problems, who’s fault is it? More than likely the mold maker will blame the machine and the machine operator will blame the mold. It’s a lose-lose. My advice is to have the mold done where the injection will take place just incase you have problems, then it’s up to them to solve it. Otherwise, you are completely on the hook when problems arise because you have your feet in both countries.