China Promises to Become One of the Biggest...
China Promises to Become One of the Biggest...
“At present, European mold & tool manufacturers feel an increasing stress and influence brought about by their craft brothers in China. It is estimated that in 2018 China will become one of the biggest manufacturing bases of molds & tools in the world.” says Mr. Alexander, a professor form University of Aachen in Germany, when he pays a visit to Ninghai Mold & Tool Manufacturing Base in Zhejiang Province, China.
Molds & Tools Manufacturing Base
Mr. Alexander said that it has been investigated by some research institutes that mold & tool design and production time in Europe is 44% and 61% shorter respectively than that in China, but in China the cost of mold & tool design and production is only 91% of that of its European competitors because of its cheaper labor which attracts many of the foreign clients. In the meanwhile, there is also an intensified competition in mold & tool industry in Europe and the rest of the world, with the result that the overall price of molds & tools in Germany has decreased by about 25% in the recent two years. It is estimated that a few years ago Germany and the Western Europe produced 58% of the molds & tools in the world, China and the other Asian countries did only 1%, but soon Eastern European countries will increase their mold & tool production ,and Asian countries will increase their mold & tool output to 20%. The professor was glad to say that the mold & tool industry in China will have a bright prospects owning to its lower labor cost advantage and the good momentum of the sustainable and rapid development of the economy as a whole.
“ But that does not mean that anything about the mold & tool industry in China is ideal and perfect,” said Alexander. Many Chinese mold & tool manufacturers have plunged themselves into misunderstanding price war prematurely, and most of them lack the ability of independent innovation. What’s more, the integrity of market system has not been established completely, and 65% of European clients think that the price of molds & tools in China is lower, but the quality is also not so good as they demand. A better solution to this problem is that by strengthening the cooperation between China and Europe, Chinese mold & tool manufacturers are in charge of mold & tool design and fabrication while European craft brothers provide for product drawings and then place orders to China.
As to customer satisfaction, what Europe demands on Chinese mold & tool manufacturers is shorter delivery time, good quality, and a higher integrity, apart from the lower prices. Chinese mold & tool manufacturers should do everything possible to make their customers understand the entire process of their production, from R & D of the products, product design to the production process. And they also should make their main direction clear, strengthen cooperation with each other, and make a prompt and effective response to customers’ demand.
Source: China Machine Tool (www.2282.net)
Translator: Robert