East West Manufacturing Blog

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...

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…” 😊

Just think about it for a second. Every day you interact with hundreds of products that at one point were nothing more than an idea. But have you ever wondered what it looks like to take a product from prototype to production? It's a complex process that combines creativity and procedures. There are stops and starts. The timeline for...

Rather than chalking your competition up as your arch nemesis (or, even worse, to "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named" status), you can actually learn some useful lessons from them, courtesy of their successes, failures and habits alike. Whether you learn what to do better – or what to avoid at all costs – taking interest in what your competitors are...

If you have been involved in global contract manufacturing (CM) for more than a few months  you will inevitably hear the phrase, “Quote Fatigue.” Quote Fatigue occurs when a prospect submits an RFQ (Request for Quote) to a manufacturer for pricing — then another, then another, then another, without the manufacturer securing any new business.

I have this image of a sourcing manager talking to a supplier with the conversation going something like this, “I don’t have extruded aluminum right now, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills; skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. If you let me have the aluminum...

Every supplier agreement starts one way: conversation. Two parties — whether they’re individuals or companies — talk about what one wants and the other can provide. Lawyers or legal teams have their place, for sure, but if you can align mutual business priorities, it’s just drawing up paperwork.

When you work with engineers prepare yourself for a heaping helping of acronym soup! You’ll hear it all: PCB, PCBA, DFM, FMEA, PO, IP and of course the BOM, which stands for Bill of Materials. And while all those other acronyms are highly important to the product development process, it’s the BOM that gets you on your way.

The secret has long been out: Vietnam is a great place for manufacturing. And not just textiles or tennis shoes. Vietnam is home to automotive and aerospace suppliers, and is considered a prime location for electronics manufacturing services (EMS). Vietnam combines many of the same benefits of manufacturing in China — a strong supply chain and...