From our buying experience, here are a several characteristics of an excellent injection mold company located on mainland China:

1. It is preferred that the owner or CEO of the company  has an mold  or industrial / mechanical engineering background instead of a pures sales one.
2. The company has process in place to control:
   1. Procurement of material (to avoid swap of materials)
   2. Production process (to achieve repeatability on production)
   3. Quality management system in place at different step of the production (at the entry of the material into incoming warehouse, during production, at the end of the production)
3. Machine maintenance is performed properly at the right time (this include calibration, cleaning etc…). If machines are not calibrated properly and regularly then the change to get some slippage on quality is high over the time without they don’t understand why themselves.
4. Company has training process in place to be able to replace any worker at any time. Very few  injection molding companies have this in place in a effective way.
5. Company has production and quality record (how many defects on each production, what kind of defects etc… to have a traceability and good control of what is going wrong, when and how)
6. Company has plastic tooling manufacturing in-house. It is much easier and remove a lot of headache to have everything in house because it allow incompatibility between stake holder.
   

   quality

7. Their employees and particularly their engineer and production manager are qualified, but the sales should be too. The easy test is to ask a lot of technical questions to those guys and to assess their knowledge. If they tell you : “we always do like this, and we don’t know why” then you should look elsewhere. I personally like manufacturers who know what they are doing and who are able to master their core business because the day when you have a problem they can identify and fix problems quickly. If they have to rely on X or Y to try to understand the problem then it can take ages to solve it. I regularly challenge manufacturers I visit with the WHY methodology to see how they react (particularly with the people you are going to be in touch with). The typical stereotype is the young chinese sales who has an english degree as background who is able to speak english, push a quote to you but when you ask some technical details she will tell you “wait I need to ask the engineer”, this mean those people don’t take the time to understand what they are doing, what they are selling and for me they are the worst sales ever… I used to work in the past with this kind of people for MP4 player, I ended producing the product on our own assembly line as I was so tired to know more technically that the people from factory.

Key Attributes of an Excellent Injection Mold Manufacturer in China

When selecting an injection mold manufacturer in China, it’s crucial to evaluate specific attributes that can ensure high-quality production and reliable service. Based on buyer experiences, here are key factors to consider.

Leadership with Engineering Expertise

An excellent injection mold company is often led by individuals with a strong background in mold, industrial, or mechanical engineering. Leadership with technical expertise, rather than solely sales experience, ensures a deeper understanding of the manufacturing process and a commitment to quality.

## Rigorous Process Controls

### Material Procurement

Top manufacturers implement stringent controls over material procurement. This helps prevent the substitution of materials, ensuring consistency and quality in the final product.

Production Process is a Key Attributes of Injection Mold Manufacturer

Effective process controls are vital for achieving repeatability in production. Consistent manufacturing processes lead to reliable product quality, minimizing defects and variability.

Quality Management System

A comprehensive quality management system is essential. This system should cover multiple stages of production, from incoming material inspection to in-process checks and final product evaluation. Quality checks at these critical points help maintain high standards throughout the production cycle.

Proper Machine Maintenance

Regular machine maintenance, including calibration and cleaning, is crucial. Properly maintained equipment reduces the risk of quality issues over time, as consistent performance from machines ensures stable production outputs.

Comprehensive Employee Training

A well-structured training process allows companies to quickly replace or support workers as needed. Few injection molding companies effectively implement such training programs, but those that do can maintain production continuity and quality, even when personnel changes occur.

In-House Plastic Tooling Manufacturing

Having plastic tooling manufacturing in-house simplifies production and reduces potential compatibility issues between different stakeholders. It also allows for quicker troubleshooting and problem resolution, leading to smoother operations and better end results.

Qualified and Knowledgeable Staff

Both engineers and production managers should be highly qualified, and sales teams should have a solid technical understanding of the products and processes. When sales staff can answer technical questions confidently, it reflects a deep understanding of the business, leading to better customer support and faster problem-solving.

Clean and Controlled Environment

A clean, dry environment is vital for quality production, especially in southern China, where humidity can impact the molding process. Manufacturers should properly dry and dehumidify plastics before injection to prevent defects like cracking due to temperature variations. what buyers of injection molds mention in an interview say : “Quite often when you inject plastics in china you need to dry it and deshumididy it before injection so that if there is temperature variation over time your part will not crack. Some manufacturer don’t dry anything and just put the plastic material in their machine and inject straight away. Worst if their press have no hoper dryer it means they inject without drying at all. It simply means they don’t know anything what they are doing and they believe plastic injection is just melting some plastic by placing some granule into a machine and by pressing buttons.”

Tooling Maintenance and Storage

Proper maintenance and storage of tooling are critical. Tools should be stored on shelves and ideally packed to protect them from the atmosphere. Well-maintained injection tools contribute to consistent quality and extend the lifespan of the molds.

Defect Segregation

A reliable manufacturer will have systems in place to identify and segregate defective parts before they reach the customer. This proactive approach to quality control helps avoid passing defects through to the end product. Like always, the manufacturing game is to avoid passing defects out.

Size Doesn’t Determine Quality

Lastly, the size of the company doesn’t necessarily reflect its capability. Smaller manufacturers with just a few presses can deliver excellent results if they master their processes and maintain high standards of quality. /The company doesn’t necessarily need to be big. I have seen some manufacturers having 2–3 presses only but doing a very good job because they master what they do.

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By focusing on these key attributes, you can select an injection mold manufacturer in China that will deliver reliable, high-quality products and contribute to the success of your project.