There has always been a great deal of competition in the areas of contract manufacturers and plastic injection molding, from both within the US and worldwide. With all of that competition, you would think that pricing would be the main separator between different injection molders offering similar services. Interesting enough that may not be the case, according to a recent survey. Out of approximately 1,300 professionals who were polled, the main determining factors for choosing a provider were in the following order:
1) Customer Service
2) Quality
3) Pricing
Customer service came in the #1 place, with quality closely trailing in the #2 spot. Below the first two was pricing at #3. Stop and think about it for a second. This type of customer behavior is not new at all. Look many of the current consumer market sweethearts such as Amazon.com, Apple, Google, Southwest Airlines, and Zappos. All of these companies became huge because they always offered customers a better experience than the competition, but not always the lowest prices. It’s not surprising that business customers want the same type of treatment.
It’s common for manufacturers to lose sight of this and pivot towards trying to produce items at the lowest possible price, caving to pressure from 3rd world overseas manufacturing. This, in many cases, results in a sacrifice of both quality and customer service. We at UPM have always believed in the power of excellent customer service and high quality services delivered at a competitive price, and have built our company around the customer.
UPM’s Customer Service Manager, Sue Farnworth, explained the philosophy this way, “We at UPM are customer service driven, whereas most companies let the manufacturing set the tone of their policies. We truly envision a partnership with our customers in a mutually win-win relationship.”