5. Manufacturer: Tips + Process

This is a topic that many of you are the most curious about.

You know it is a bit rude to ask other designers about their own manu, but you are also nervous about what manufacturer to choose to make your pins. It is understandable! 

Though I will not be revealing my own manu, here I will try to guide you with tips I have for choosing one that may work well for you. 

Contents:

• Where to find a manufacturer

• Once you are on Alibaba

• What to look for in a manu

• Process Breakdown

1. Where to find a manufacturer

In this case, Google is your best friend! You can literally search custom enamel pins and a bunch of manufacturers will pop up.

Though many peers and I go to a particular website to find our manus:

Alibaba.com

Features:

• Thousands of Verified Global Suppliers 
• Communicate with Manufacturer
• Get Quotations for your products 
• Trade Assurance - Facilitates possible disputes with manufacturer
• Wholesale products
• Manufacturers for 
• Apparel & Textile
• Pins & Charms
• Jewelry
• And really anything almost
• App Available to IOS and Andriod

I find using the app works just as well as the website, maybe even better since it's more convenient.

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2. Once you are in the app or website

    a. Set up an account.

    b. Then simply go to the search bar and search for what you want to make.

    c. In this case, it would be "enamel pins," "custom enamel pins," etc.

Voila! You already have a list of manufacturers to choose from. 

Manu Lingo

We reviewed some of these in the Introduction, but here are some more that may help you while communicating with your pin manufacturer. 

New:

Mold: A master mold for the pin shape of your design. This is the part that costs the most in the whole quotation. You don't need to pay the mold fee again when reordering with the same manu. 

Quotation: Also known as Quote. Is the cost of production for your product. 

Ex. you can say "Can you give me a quote for X?" to your manu. below is a quotation my manu gave me

Unit: One piece of a product. 

Ex."What is the unit price?" "What is the price per unit or piece"

Trade Assurance: This is like an insurance for when anything goes wrong with your order with your manu and you file a dispute, staff from Alibaba will facilitate them. They will also decide whether you can get your money back in some cases. Some manus do ask for you to pay in Paypal Goods and Service. It is your choice, but the disputes would be with Paypal and there's no say on how it'll go. If you trust them after a few rounds of ordering, that's also your choice!

MOQ: Minimum Order Quantity. Many manufacturers' MOQs are around 50 pieces per design.

RFQ: Request for Quotation. A function in the app that allows you to state what you want to make and manus will contact you for more information

Review:

Enamel pins or Lapel pins are decorative pins that can be made from steel, aluminum, copper, brass, or iron. They can be filled with enamel, if not, that'd make them recessed enamel pins.

Enamel: The coloring of the pin is made of this material! They can be different colors as well, as long as your manufacturer approves of it.

Hard Enamel Pins: Hard enamel pins have a flat and smooth/polished surface.

Soft Enamel Pins: Pins with raised metal lining.

Pantone (color): They are a company with a universal color system that enables color decision and communication between the designer and the manufacturer.

Plating or Metal plating: A metal protective film on the surface of your base pin metal. This plating is used to prevent corrosion and oxidation of the base pin metal. The plating also has an impact on the design and overall look with the enamel pin. Ask your manu to see what types they offer

Screenprint: Extra printing on the pin that is not restricted by the metal borders. It's perfect for getting small details in the pin too (The more professional term is silkscreen printing)

Pin backings or clutches: The back pieces behind the pin that keeps the pin attached to its surface, fabric, pinboard, etc. Can come in different colors.

Backstamp: Backstamps are recessed or raised images stamped onto the back of a custom pin with a separate mold. This piece is optional in the making process, but a good way to brand a pin! The back mold would cost extra technically.

Note: English may be your manu's second language so when in doubt, draw them a diagram! With arrows, circles, and all that. This is what I do! Because I'm more of a visual person, it also helps me to visualize everything properly too :D

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3. What to look for in a manufacturer

There are many things to look at when trying to find a manu you are satisfied with, you might be talking to 5 different ones before you actually decide which one will make your product.

Here are some things to consider while browsing for manus:

• What is their price range? (The display usually doesn't match, asking for a quote is more accurate)
• Do they have good ratings?
• What is their response time?
• Where are they from?
• What is their on-time delivery rate?
• Are they verified?
• How many years have they been a company?
• How well do you communicate with each other?

If you scroll to the bottom of a post, you can see more detailed descriptions of the company.

Things to ask your manu before committing:

• Their MOQ for the item you are trying to order
• The price range for your design
• Show samples of similar products they've made in the past
• How much shipping is from them to you 

It might seem like a tedious and tiring process to talk to so many manufactures, but we all go through the same thing! Some may take longer than others to find a suitable fit. It's all part of the process even though it may not be your favorite one. 

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4. Process breakdown

After you decide on the manu and gather enough funds, you are ready to go to the next step which is Production!

Different manus follow different steps but this is more or less how it will go:

• The manu representative will give you a quote for your design(s)
• Check the quote for details and calculations.
• Ask questions if you are not sure of something

• The manu will send you a mockup of their version of your design. It will look something like this:

• This step may be before or after you pay your deposit (usually 50%) or the full payment depending on the manu
• If it looks right, you will confirm it.
• You can ask for a sample before production but it may cost your extra money and time.
• Ask your manu about this.
• Then, they will go straight to production.
• Some manu representatives are very proactive in giving updates, some are really bad at it. 
• I've experienced both ways 😅
• Ask what steps they are in. It would be best if you ask for a picture as proof.
• You can post the process pictures on your social media
• it's a nice way to reassure people who have preordered
• Once they are done with production, if you paid a deposit before, you will pay the rest of the amount.
• Once the transaction goes through, the manu will ship your newly made products to you!

Note: Remember to be courteous! Manu representatives are people as well and they go on breaks too.

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That was a lot of information again, but also one of the most tedious tasks of the process. Good luck with finding a manufacturer for your lovely designs!

If you have any additional questions for me please feel free to comment below, dm me via Instagram or Twitter @teataekl, or email me at teataekookie@gmail.com