Find A Manufacturer

Finding the right manufacturer is one of the most difficult tasks of new start ups, and existing businesses.  There are many caveats in this mutual agreement including quality control, price gouging, communication, proprietary technology, and NDA’s.  Contract Auction was created to help facilitate this process for FREE!  Contract Auction will never charge to list a job, to bid jobs, for contact information or any features found on our website.  In order to help you find a manufacturer for your product, we have put together a few pointers below.

Keep Your Ideas Proprietary

It is necessary when trying to find a manufacturer, to show your model or drawings to the potential manufacturer, however you do not need to explain/sell the entire concept to a manufacturer.  This only increases the risk that your idea may be taken and sold against you.  When you are trying to find a manufacturer, only reveal the smallest portion of the product that they must see. 

Example: If you are looking to manufacturer a new cutting edge tri-cycle, do not create beautiful rendering of the item in CAD and use the photo to explain to the various manufacturers what you need created, instead post drawings in the relevant sections.  Place the drawings for the frame in “Fabrication”, place the Finishing of the frames in “Coatings”, source the handle bars in “Fabrication”.  This way your ideas can remain safe from competitors.  Manufacturers are not concerned with what you are creating, as long as they have drawings and specifications, they will be happy to receive your payment.  There is no need to sell the manufacturer on your product in order for them to help create it.

Openly Communicate When Finding a Manufacturer

Contract Auction not only allows you to share email information through our website, but we highly encourage it.  We are here to facilitate purchasers sourcing manufacturers.  We do not want to inhibit the communication and convolute the process of trying to find a manufacturer, or finding manufacturing jobs.  We want to make it as easy as a phone call or email.  Beware, Contract Auction is an open website to the public.  In order to maintain our concept of easy connections we do not require a password protection to see projects posted.  This allows us to expose your project to the maximum amount of manufacturers.  Please do not put your email address in the listing itself as this may result in unwanted spam.  We do recommend contacting each other through our website messages to exchange emails, phone numbers or addresses, as we feel this is the most efficient means of finding the right manufacturer for your product.

Feedback!

Contract Auction is meant to be an easy to use, marketplace in which one can find a manufacturer, or on the other side, a manufacturer can bid on projects.  It is essential to the health of Contract Auction that those of you who make a connection here rate the manufacturer/purchaser who provided service to you.  This allows those in the future to use the website to its fullest ability.  There is much to be gained in obtaining feedback both as a manufacturer and a purchaser, as this will result in more orders in the future and a lower price respectively.

Good Luck, and please provide us with your feedback with any tips or suggestions to help you better find a manufacturer!