East West Trade: Making it Work for You

The Proposition:

The ability to source quality manufactured goods through OEM contract manufacturing in the Pacific Rim can offer significant opportunities to many companies. Manufacturing resources located in the Far East are able to supply a wide range of manufactured items for consumer and industrial markets at significant cost savings over domestic sources.

The Challenges:

Dealing with manufacturing facilities thousands of miles away in foreign countries may seem formidable. Issues of language, local customs, product quality assurance, inspections, import tariffs, shipping and delivery, and banking all exist, in addition to traditional manufacturing concerns. Frequently, suppliers in several countries need to be utilized to achieve maximum cost savings and product quality, adding further complexity to a project.

There is no substitute for experience and an on-site presence in assuring that foreign sourcing works efficiently. A current in-depth knowledge of the best available resources is imperative, yet finding qualified individuals and placing them in multiple locations is not always practical or cost-efficient.

The Mission: Maximize foreign sourcing opportunities.

At the Simmons Group, it's our goal to maximize your foreign sourcing opportunities. The Simmons Group of companies offers a full range of services designed exclusively to facilitate East-West trade. SimmonsGroupLtd.com is not a traditional trading company. We provide a unique range of services tailored specifically to the needs of buyers.

The Simmons Group was established in 1949, specifically to manage multi-country sourcing programs in the Pacific Rim. As the representative of the buyer, Simmons utilizes the experience and expertise of its Asian and American-based staff of over 120 individuals to locate the best manufacturer to meet our clients' specific requirements. We work for you, not the manufacturer.

The Process: Total program management assures satisfaction.

Our involvement begins with product review to determine the best type of facility or combination of facilities for producing specific products. Often discussions begin at the conceptual level, before the design is complete.

Simmons personnel conduct thorough investigations to determine specific resources in labor, raw materials, facilities and fabrication capabilities. We then conduct vendor surveys to identify and evaluate specific manufacturers' strengths and capabilities.

Negotiations are then conducted with multiple sources whenever possible to ensure best pricing based on your requirements. If you're looking for off-the-shelf products to add to your product line, Simmons can help locate suppliers for your requirements and negotiate unit cost, so you can evaluate your total purchasing cost for the product.

The Simmons Pacific Rim engineering staff, which consists of mechanical and electronic engineers who are intimately involved with the entire program, are available for on-site inspections during manufacturing start-ups. Ongoing support is provided during all phases of production by engineers conversant with the product and the manufacturing process.

Each overseas office contains a full quality assurance department with test equipment where pre-production samples are carefully examined to assure conformance to specifications. When called for, Simmons personnel are placed in factories to conduct in-process inspections on an ongoing basis.

Prior to each shipment, an audit inspection is conducted by Simmons personnel to agreed A.Q.L. sampling standards. Simmons inspection personnel are familiar with all internationally established quality standards.

Communication is critical to the flow of information from the production point located off-shore during all phases of the program. Beginning with product evaluations, vendor surveys and negotiations, and concluding with shipping to our customer, Simmons experienced staff utilizes all available channels of communication to keep you fully informed.

Our traffic department coordinates all scheduling and shipping details, inspection reports, bills of lading, letters of credit and other documentation and communicates this vital information regularly. Our experience in these areas guarantees competitive shipping rates and reliable, monitored transportation schedules for our clients.