Reshoring Plastic Tooling – Get It Back to the USA

October 30th, 2020

In the past, many manufacturing jobs were sent overseas to places like China to save costs. Now, the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated an already growing trend of reshoring manufacturing. In the plastics industry, the shale boom and access to natural gas were motivating a reshoring trend. The coronavirus pandemic has many companies restructuring their supply chain, adding further incentive to company’s considering reshoring manufacturing. Plastic tooling can be expensive and when performed abroad it is more susceptible to design theft.

 

Quality

One of the main reasons to reshore plastic tooling is the assurances in quality control that come with domestic production. Rigorous standards like AS9100 are expected from the leading domestic manufacturers, but are not always guaranteed abroad. At Southwest Plastics, our quality and manufacturing management system is certified to the requirements of AS9100.

 

Design Assist

Many offshore molders provide production only, not design. They won’t help with material selection, mold details, production, etc. At Southwest Plastics, our personnel have worked in the plastics industry for many years and amassed a level of experience and creativity that is brought to bear on all projects new or old. You have full access to our decades of experience throughout the design and production process. This way, our clients get what they actually want and need.

 

Mitigating Risk

Reshoring minimizes intellectual property theft and regulatory compliance risks. Keeping design, development, and production of a part under one roof is essentially impossible when working with an offshore injection molder. When working with Southwest Plastics, we retain important knowledge gathered throughout every phase of the development process. Not doing so can cost critical time and budget dollars, and puts your intellectual property at risk.

 

Flexibility

Reshoring provides greater flexibility and less complications to companies by shortening the supply chain. Domestic manufacturing enables close collaboration among teams from marketing to engineering to shipping. Products can get to market faster due to a shortened supply chain; domestic production enables shorter lead times with smaller order quantities. We maintain a system that is flexible enough to respond to the changing and varied requirements presented by our customers.

 

Value

Cost is a critical factor in the production of any manufactured part. It is not uncommon for manufacturers to place cost at the top of their list when selecting an injection molding partner. At Southwest Plastics we offer competitive pricing with the added value of protecting your intellectual property. Reshoring provides lower shipping costs and decreased delivery times. Additionally, wages are increasing abroad, but reshoring allows for the creation of American jobs which strengthens our economy. Many domestic areas offer local tax incentives for reshoring as well. The combination of craftsmanship, engineering, intellectual protection and competitive pricing all round – the solution is simply to reshore your tools with us at Southwest Plastics.

 

Southwest Plastics Tooling

In-house mold making capabilities give Southwest Plastics an advantage when it comes to the rapid production of cost-efficient prototype and short-run tooling as well as repair, maintenance, and modification of molds. Southwest Plastics also has ongoing relationships with qualified outside sources for specialized mold making services and a working "partnership" with third party tooling sources for economical production of certain types of molds. Southwest Plastics has the experience to direct the production of tooling for our customers' project down the right path for the best result possible. At Southwest Plastics we will work with you throughout the entire experience of plastic injection molding, from design and material to production and execution. We put your unique needs first, while always protecting your company’s intellectual property. Contact us now to find out how we can help you reshore plastic tooling.