Services

Offshore Sourcing and Manufacturing

Ameritech will make your purchasing experience as simple as working with a stateside supplier. We go the extra mile to locate the very best Asian manufacturer for your product, following quality standards you would expect from a local source. Our liaison office in Beijing has staff that are Six Sigma certified, giving you added peace of mind.

We’ll start by collecting samples of your product, including engineering drawings and product specifications. If you’re concerned about the transfer of intellectual property to an unknown manufacturer, we can put you in touch with local or Asian firms who can secure a foreign patent for your product. The cost for most foreign patents is substantially less than what you’d pay, or have paid, for a U.S. Patent. Once we get your approval to send samples and drawings overseas, we’ll proceed with our search for a quality production facility.

When we locate a suitable manufacturer, and they’ve had an opportunity to review the project, you’ll receive “delivered to your dock” pricing based upon your anticipated production needs. If tooling or molds are needed, you’ll receive a price for these as well. Tooling and mold costs must be paid in advance of our delivery of pre-production samples.

Upon your approval of pre-production samples, we’ll work with you to establish a letter of credit or prepayment for your production order. Once the letter of credit is established or prepayment made, the factory will begin the production and quality control process. Generally, production lead times are 30 to 45 days after receipt of the letter of credit or prepayment, with in-transit time by ocean vessel and rail to the Midwest United States around five weeks. Of course, if we’re moving your goods by air, the in-transit time is significantly less. Ameritech’s C-TPAT certification (see the Supply Chain Security link on this site) with Homeland Security will move your goods through U.S. Customs quickly and efficiently.

Logistics

Since 1983, Ameritech has imported millions of parts and finished goods from several countries. We’ll negotiate with air and ocean carriers to find the most cost-effective and efficient method of getting your order to your dock.

If you need the use of a bonded warehouse to store your unused product, Ameritech can arrange that for you as well.