Are you looking for ways to cut down on the cost of manufacturing? For small or start-up businesses, this is often one of the biggest expenses. There are a number of ways to save money during this process, which can lead to a bigger profit at the end of the year.

Here are five ideas to help you get started!

5 Simple Ways to Cut Manufacturing Costs:

1. Work savings into the design process.
So you’ve had a great idea for a product and have launched your own business. You have probably done a boatload of market research to ensure that there’s a solid market for your new product, and have probably also invested heavily in marketing and advertising. But have you given the same consideration to streamlining the design? It’s worth working efficiency directly into the initial design, to ensure that you’re producing an end result that’s as cost-effective as possible. Work closely with your manufacturer. Manufacturers, such as Dyson are equipped with technical staff and engineers, who are forging experts and able to assist and consult with you to help solve your needs.

2. Reduce the cost of materials.
If you design clothing or household items, the materials are probably one area where you feel you don’t want to skimp too much. But there are usually ways to cut material costs while still providing high quality for the end product. Do your research to find cheaper alternatives. Synthetic fabrics have come a long way in the past few years, for example. It’s also a good idea to buy materials in bulk whenever possible to benefit from discounts.

3. Buy used machinery.
If you choose to manufacture your own products rather than outsourcing the process, one easy way to save money is to look for used machinery. Machine tools for sale by Mach Trade or other vendors are often available and slightly used, shaving off a significant percentage of the fee.

4. Upgrade your machinery.
Another factor that might be impacting your manufacturing costs is using machinery that’s out of date and less efficient. If you have the cash flow to upgrade, you might want to invest in the latest technology to cut down on manpower and boost productivity. Be sure to run a cost-benefit analysis first, however. You can calculate the return on investment by subtracting the new machinery’s cost from the total gains.

5. Reduce labour costs.
Finally, you can look at the human side of the manufacturing process. If you’re manufacturing the products yourselves in small batches, (for example a handmade craft business), than this won’t come into play. But if you’re thinking about mass-producing your products eventually you’ll need to think about whether it’s worth hiring unskilled workers and training them on the job, or if it would actually be more beneficial to hire a smaller number of employees who are already trained experts.

Look at the overall manufacturing process carefully from design to labour in order to find areas where you might be able to save.

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