East West Manufacturing Blog

It probably won’t come as a surprise that engineers love their acronyms. If you’re not fully immersed in this world, it can become increasingly difficult to decode what may sound like a foreign language, and while we can’t explain every abbreviation you may come across in one blog post, we’re going to start by discussing the differences between...

Once the decision has been made to manufacture outside of the United States, the next major question that needs to be answered is: if not here, where? China has long since been the default answer for many companies, but with increased tariffs, rising labor rates and lengthy transit time, some are considering nearshore as their first choice and for...

It’s everywhere. You can’t escape it. Lead time, lead time, lead time! You’ve heard it repeatedly, but has anyone taken the time to explain to you exactly what lead time is and what goes into it?

Don’t fret, we’re here to help. It’s a complex beast, but we’ll do our best to break it down so it even makes sense to those who are just getting their...

Let me guess – you’ve designed an amazing product that you want to manufacture in China, but you’re worried that a cheaper version of your product will appear on Alibaba in a month. Who wants to spend the R+D dollars to then have their intellectual property (IP) stolen in a flash? Taking your IP to China will prove much smoother (and less risky)...

It's a common mistake among procurement newbies to use the acronyms RFQ and RFP interchangeably. Throw in RFI, and things really start to get hairy. Understanding the nuances that distinguish these different types of requests (for information, proposal and quote) will help you get what you need a little faster and more easily, and that's something...

Casting -- one of the oldest known manufacturing techniques -- is a process in which liquid material (e.g. molten metal) is poured into a mold cavity and hardened. After removing the piece from the mold, various finishing treatments can be applied to create a dazzling final product. This process is used primarily to manufacture complex solid and...

Have you ever wished for an easy, all-in-one-place guide to the most cost-effective locations for specific manufacturing processes? Maybe you’re thinking, “No, but now that you mention it…” 😊

Let’s be honest. With a show of hands, when we say strategic sourcing, how many of you think this concept is really just about buying at the cheapest price? While engineers and brand managers get most of the credit for successful new product development and commercialization of product launches, the unsung hero is often the team who wears the...

 When considering the value of engineering support as you go through the process of product development, there’s a great saying to keep in mind:

Experience is a great teacher, especially someone else’s experience.