East West Manufacturing Blog

Of all the questions we hear, "why did my quote change" is one of the simplest and toughest to answer. The quote changed because of...well...change. But the reasons for the change can be complicated. In fact there might be more than one reason why your quote changed. Let's take a look at some of the factors that can cause an adjustment to your...

No matter the complexity, manufacturers are always looking for ways to reduce the cost of making things, and sometimes they end up with a better product as a result. That process is called value engineering. And yes, it's possible to make a better product through value engineering, especially if you ask a lot of the right questions.

Very few people walk into a store, take an item off the shelf and purchase it without looking at the price. Even if you’re reasonably certain you can afford it, you’ll glance at the label to see how much it’s going to cost. If it’s what you want, and the price is in line with your desire for the item, you’ll buy it. But retail prices aren’t...

You’re in the market for some printed circuit board assemblies (PCBA) for your new product and you need to find the right supplier. You've looked online, gotten recommendations from friends and the choices are dizzying. Should you look domestically or overseas? What do you do now? Sourcing PCBA doesn't have to be difficult, but there are two basic...

Relationships are tricky things. When they're good it's usually because each party has something the other needs, it's a mutually beneficial. That's true when you're looking for manufacturing suppliers, too. You're looking for a good fit. You win, they win. 

Can you guess the topic of the questions we’re most frequently asked?

[Editor's note: This blog post originally ran in January 2017.]

You’re a company with an air- or water-moving product looking for a contract manufacturer (CM) to help take your design from prototype to market. There are plenty of companies out there willing to help you. But how do you sort through them? What differentiators should you look for?

As a global contract manufacturer, we get asked a whole lot of questions, but one is more common than all the rest. Hands down, the most asked question is: "How much will it cost to manufacture my product?" This probably isn't too surprising, since most big decisions come down to cost in the end. The answer is a good ol' catch-22: simple, yet...

Are you ready to launch your metal project? Are you trying to find the perfect manufacturing partner to get the job done? Below are five important questions you should ask any prospective metal supplier. The benefit of working with a qualified, experienced contract manufacturer is that they have a wealth of knowledge to ensure your product is best...

Will cheap oil prices (Energy) drive more companies to move production back to the US?  Or how much more does it cost companies to keep manufacturing in the U.S?  That is the real question!