Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about contract manufacturing in China:
1. What does Titoma stand for?
2. Which kind of products are suitable for China Manufacturing?
3. Will manufacturing in China save me money?
4. Will using Titoma add cost?
5. Is it possible to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement with Titoma?
6. Technical, Manufacturing & Shipping terms acronyms
1. What does Titoma stand for?
Time To Market
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2. Which kind of products are suitable for China Manufacturing?
We use 4 criteria:
- Quantity: volume is king in China, and lot size is the first thing we will need to know. In general outsourcing makes only sense when the order size is at least a container, order amount at least US$5,000, below that transport and management overheads are too high.
- Labor Intensity: the more labor involved in assembling and packaging the product the more money we can save you.
- Electronic components: 70% of the world’s electronics are now made in Asia, due to its extremely rich cluster of suppliers of electronic components. If your product currently is built with lots of branded western components we can save you a lot of money using local equivalents.
- Tooling intensity: we can save you a significant amount of money on tooling, so if tooling amortization is high because you make only 1500 units a year you should talk to us.
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3. Will manufacturing in China save me money?
We always advise our client to analyze the Total Cost of production, being unit costs, management costs, cost of delayed shipments, cost of non-conforming units etc.
Some people delude themselves thinking that they are saving 50% buying in China, forgetting to account the cost and time they incur invest every time they have fly over to sort out some problem.
In general the quantity / dollar value has to be high enough to make it worth the extra management time and attention that is invariably required.
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4. Will using Titoma add cost?
Yes. We add a small percentage to the cost, depending on volume. But the reason clients go via us is that they save on the Total Cost, as explained above. If you have the scale of IBM it makes sense to set up your own sourcing center in China, but companies of a slightly smaller stature will realize significant savings using Titoma’s complete team of Western experts, with a combined 80 years of experience developing and manufacturing in Asia. Being within half an hour drive of the manufacturer 365 days a year does make a difference.
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5. Is it possible to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement with Titoma?
Yes, protection of the confidentiality of your project is very important to us. With most clients we sign an NDA prior to receiving any confidential information. Please click here to download a copy of our standard NDA.
Please fill out your information and sign, then fax it to us at 886 2 2727 4689. We will counter sign and fax back as soon as possible.
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6. Technical, manufacturing & shipping terms acronyms:
- BB - Barebones
- CDMA - Code division multiple access
- CIF - Cost, Insurance & Freight (link to Glossary of shipping terms)
- CMTS - Cable modem termination system
- CNC - Computer Numerical Control
- Combos - a hybrid model of CD-RW burner and DVD-ROM drive
- DECT - Digital enhanced cordless telecommunications
- DSC - Digital still camera
- DSLAMs - Digital subscriber line access multiplexers
- Drs - DVD receivers
- FOB - Free on Board (link to Glossary of shipping terms)
- GPRS - (General packet radio service) mobile phone handsets
- IA - Internet Appliances
- IC - Integrated circuits
- L/C - Letter of Credit. It’s a bank's promise that a shipment of goods will be paid for on arrival (link to Glossary of shipping terms)
- LCOS - Liquid crystal on silicon
- MB - Motherboards
- MCU - Micro-controller units
- MSOs - Multiple system operators
- NB - Notebook Computers
- OBM - Own Brand Manufacturing
- OEM/ODM - Contract Manufacturing for others
- OLED - Organic light emitting diode (panels)
- Palms - Palm mini-computers (like PalmPilot, for example)
- PAS - Personal access system
- PCB - Printed Circuit Board
- PCI - Peripheral Component Interface
- PDA - Personal Digital Assistant
- PS2 - PlayStation2
- SMT - Surface Mount Technology
- SoC - Silicon on Chip or System on Chip
- STB - Set-top Boxes
- STN - Super-twisted nematic (LCD module)
- T/T - Telegraphic Transfer
- VGA - Video Graphics Adapter
- WLAN - Wireless LAN
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Web Resources
UGA Internet guideThe country and keyword based internet guide from Europe
Plastics.org Trade organization for the US plastics industry. Informational resource on polymer materials, processes and technologies.
Welcome to GEPLASTICS.COM Manufactures a range of engineering plastic resins including Lexan polycarbonate, ABS and other specialized resins for demanding applications.
Plastics Resource Information on plastics and the environment.
Society of Plastics Engineers A network of plastics professionals around the world promoting the knowledge and education of plastics and polymers.
Plastics Technology Online Source of Technical and Business Information for Plastics Processors.Providing material specification database and supplier listing.
Plastics News - Breaking News Crain's international information source for the plastics industry.
Modern Plastics Offers global perspective on plastic news and developments. Provides news and pricing information.
TAP Plastics Provides fiberglass, plastic and signage products. Specialize in fiberglass resins and fabrics, mold-making supplies, and casting and sculpting products.
British Plastics Federation Trade federation for the UK plastics and polymer industry dealing with environmental issues, plastic statistics and trade, polymer seminars and events.
SPI - The Society of the Plastics Industry The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. is a trade association of nearly 2000 members.
UK Business Directory
Kyotee UK Business Directory
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