Factory Or Trading Company?
A manufacturer can show you a mould number for the case you are buying, a machine list with clamping tonnages matched to the case size, a dimensional report measured on a production unit, and serviceable spare parts for the hardware. A reseller can usually show you photographs.
Key points
- Ask for the mould number, not the factory area.
- Match the clamping tonnage to the projected area of the case; a mismatch is decisive.
- A supplier that owns tooling will let you audit it.
- Third-party inspection on a production batch is a different claim from a pre-production sample.
Five pieces of evidence
What a trading company is genuinely good for
Consolidating several products into one shipment, and handling small mixed orders. If that is what you need, say so and buy the service knowingly. What you should not accept is a trading company presenting itself as the manufacturer while you specify a mould.
Applications
This matters most where the case is part of a movement chain rather than shelf packaging. In defense the same shell is specified differently because the handling, the environment and the verification requirement differ.
- Defense — Defence support equipment is the unglamorous half of the inventory — test sets, spares, ground p…
Customisation
Everything described above is configurable on a standard shell: interior layout (pick-and-pluck, die-cut or CNC-cut), foam grade and thickness, colour, logo method, latch and lock count, pressure-equalisation valve, cable ports, document holder and identification plate. A bespoke exterior geometry requires a new mould — 125 days, from 3,000 units per moulded component.
Procurement considerations
| Question | What to send us |
|---|---|
| Which shell fits? | Equipment L × W × H as packed, plus required clearance per axis |
| What does it cost? | Order quantity and estimated annual quantity — the two drive different answers |
| Is tooling needed? | Whether an existing shell clears the envelope with usable foam depth |
| Lead time? | Your required delivery date, not just the order date |
| Certification? | The exact standard your tender names — we will say whether we can test to it |
| Freight? | Destination and preferred terms; carton and pallet data supplied with the quotation |
Comparison and selection guide
The tables on this page exist because a protective case is chosen by comparing three things: the envelope, the environment and the handling chain. Where no table applies, the rule below is.
| Situation | What To Do |
|---|---|
| Fastest | Standard shell plus CNC foam — typically 45 days from approved drawing. |
| Branded | Standard shell plus custom colour and logo — MOQ applies to the resin colour. |
| Bespoke geometry | New mould — 125 days, MOQ from 3,000 units per component. |
- Size on internal dimensions plus clearance, never on a product name.
- Choose the carrying method before the shell: it changes the series, not just the price.
- Specify the interior last, and decide up front whether the end user will reconfigure it.
Factory Or Trading Company? relates to Procurement Guide. Related families: Custom Protective Cases. Related sectors: Defense. Continue in the Procurement Guide cluster.
This page is written from our own production data. If your requirement differs, send the dimensions and we will tell you which of the 155 models fits, or whether a custom route is needed.
