The task of developing a new product has never been an easy one. For a product like wholesale first aid kit, which has some varieties of manufacturers, there are some basic structures to adhere to, ensuring that your product is up to standard. This does not make the task any easier as your product needs to stand out and offer maximum efficiency for you to penetrate and dominate the market.
In this article, we will be looking at some of the steps you would need to develop a new medical kit in China.
Market Evaluation of Wholesale First Aid Kit
This process involves extensive research and evaluation to determine the potential of the medical equipment to meet the needs of the customer and meet the company's financial objectives.
This is the most crucial step in the success of your product plan because it will provide you with the necessary information you would need to determine if you can sell your product successfully, where you can sell your product, and how to charge for your product.
With this information, you can better structure your idea to better meet the needs of the customers.
In developing a new personal protective equipment, one of the things you must do in this step is to determine which kit you would want to develop.
The first aid kit classification depends on the intended use, the variety of supplies in the kit, and the number of first aid supplies.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the International Safety Equipment Association are responsible for maintaining these standards. However, there are two classifications of first aid kits, namely Class A and Class B, but others do not fall into these classifications.
The Class A kit provides a basic range of products to help deal with common injuries like abrasions, minor burns, and small cuts. This class is suitable for low-risk workplaces like offices, and they are also suitable for the low population.
The class B kits give a greater number of supplies with a broader range. It is suitable for handling injuries in complex, high-risk, or highly populated workplaces.
Other example of kits include burn relief kits, which contain supplies for wound care and also save lives. emergency kits containing supplies to help treat the most common health issues, injuries and rescue medical supplies. First aid travel kits, which are small and compact, containing supplies to help treat minor illnesses and injuries.
Understand World Health Organization requirement
Health care providers must keep themselves conversant with WHO requirement for First Aid Kit. According to them, personal protective equipment for medical care must meet the following requirement:
The boxes should be so made so as to ensure that there is no dampness whatsoever inside them. If the box is not then it will decrease its lifespan.
The box should be waterproof and fire retardant to ensure longevity without affecting the contents inside it.
The individual components must also be made of strong material so that they can withstand wear and tear.
Must have clear set of instructions on how to use the kit in case you need to refer during an emergency.
Confirm the Contents Inside
After completing your market evaluation and determining the type of first aid kit that you want to develop, you would also need to confirm the contents in the first aid kits to deliver a product that is up to standard. Some of the contents of a first aid kit include
First aid guide to provide proper instructions on the first aid supplies
Adhesive bandages used to cover up wounds and control bleeding wounds
Adhesive bandages used to hold dressings or bandages to wounds
Antibiotic ointment used to protect wounds from infections and also to cleanse wounds before applying bandages
Antiseptic used to destroy growing microorganism and clean wounds before applying bandages
Eye/skin wash is used to remove irritants and contaminants from the skin and eyes.
Burn treatment is used to treat burns and help ease the pain that comes with burns.
Cold packs are used to help reduce swelling and to also cool burns to minimize soft tissue damage.
Hand sanitizer is used to kill microorganisms and germs on the hands after attending to a patient.
Medical exam gloves are used to protect the wearer from contaminating or being contaminated by an injury.
Confirm the dimension of the first aid kits based on contents quantity
The containers of first aid kits are classified based on the resistance to water, portability, impacts, ability to be mounted on a single position, and corrosion. The different types of first aid kit containers are
Type I: This type of first aid kit container is intended to be mounted or stationary. It is meant for office settings, manufacturing facilities, or general indoor usage.
Type II: This type of first aid kit is portable and should also have a handle meant for carrying it. It is meant for places such as manufacturing facilities and also office settings. It is most suitable for places where the probability of damaging the contents from rough handling or environmental exposure is low. They are usually cheaper than other first aid kits.
Type III: This type of first aid kit is portable, but it also can be mounted. It is suitable for areas where there is no probability of damaging the contents from environmental exposure. It is meant for indoor, mobile, and sheltered usage, and it should have a water-resistant seal.
Type IV: This type of first aid kit is portable, but it must have a mounting option. It must be waterproof and meet the special performance requirements for moisture, impact resistance, and corrosion. It is meant for indoor, outdoor, and mobile industry uses, commonly found in utility industries, construction, and transportation industries.
Find a Chinese Manufacturer to Make Your Personal Protective equipment Global supply
This step is going to come down choosing one or two manufacturers that meet your needs. There are tons of options out there and narrowing down your choices is going to be a huge part of the process. There's no clear cut answer here and this step largely depends on what you're looking for (budget, quality, etc.).
When searching for the right Chinese manufacturer for your health care medical kits, put the following into consideration:
Negotiate Your Terms
Negotiation is Key During this stage it's important that you avoid any languages barriers as much as possible. Using an agent or translator might be beneficial depending on how well you are able to understand/speak Chinese if that's not your native language.
You'll want to have good business acumen at this point because you're going to need to negotiate with multiple manufacturers given their MOQ requirements which can lead to some tough negotiations so keep in mind there are lowballers out there who will take whatever they can get from a newbie.
Talk about Shipping and Delivery
After your negotiation remember to talk about how this high demand medical equipment can be shipped to your country or state. Shipping usually takes a few weeks and you'll need to provide your preferred shipping method and receiver details so they can get everything to where it needs to go.
Design & Packaging
The only way someone will purchase your lives saving equipment is if they think it has value so your design must appear professional but also be attractive to the target market.
While this is being done you should also start looking into what kind of packaging your product will arrive in, as this too has a significant impact on its purchasing power.
Branding
You must have a clear brand idea for your company before producing the first sample products, otherwise you run the risk of designing around an unclear concept which can lead to serious problems further down the line.
Once you have worked out your logo and slogan try converting them into different language or designs so that they are applicable in places such as China, America etcetera.
This way when someone views your product overseas they already have an idea about it based upon their country's culture making decision easier for them.
Due Diligence
When dealing with smaller Chinese manufacturers it is important that proper research and due diligence has been carried out on them beforehand otherwise problems will arise later which may not only cost money but time too meaning development of your product could stall
Quality Control
There are one or two quality control agencies located within China including AQSIQ for food and pharmaceuticals and USFDA for medical products, however it is always a good idea to send samples of your product and medical equipment abroad to ensure there are no major concerns.
Inventory
Ensure you hold on to a large percentage of inventory until the first batch has sold successfully as not only will this cover initial investment but if quality control issues arise then you will have enough time to resolve them before new orders become due meaning potential losses are minimized.
Send your Requirements to the manufacturer.
After completing your market evaluation, confirming the contents inside the kit you have decided to develop. Then you know the dimension of the kit based on its contents; you would then send all these details to your Chinese manufacturer, telling them exactly what you want.
There are many Chinese companies available for hire depending on what scale of product you require meaning it is possible to create a new kit which can compete with some higher end products, however there are still alternatives for this approach.
If money is an issue then sourcing smaller Chinese manufacturers in Guangdong province who already produce similar items will allow you to work together and provide expertise where each lacks it, thus lowering costs significantly.
It would even be way better if you could come up with a drawing of your intended design for the manufacturer. If you are not confident or sure about the contents of the kit for global supply, you should work with a factory that has a very good reputation and high-level first aid skills so that you can develop the best kit.
The Factory makes samples for you
After providing the Factory with all the necessary details, they then make a prototype or test kits sample for you. You should share this prototype with key partners and a handful of good customers and ask them to help you try the product out and give you feedback.
After you have gotten feedback from them, your marketing team can, with the feedback gotten, create marketing campaigns, craft marketing messages, and develop marketing ideas based on the most positive aspect that the feedback was focused on or the reaction of the partners and customers during the evaluation of the prototype.
Some of the marketing ideas could include email campaigns, billboards or posters, websites, etc.
Modify the Details of the medical equipment
You can make adjustments to the prototype, and if necessary, you could even come up with a new version of the prototype.
You should develop additional prototypes for market testing and then engage in a little product release in chosen areas.
Then take note if the product does well in terms of sales and then evaluate why the product sold well, if it did, and why it did not work in the case that sales were not impressive. This small launch will help you determine what you would need to do before an official launch, and it would give you an insight into how your product would be received into the market.
Also, evaluate the effectiveness and price of the marketing messages and marketing campaign.
Confirm the order and Start from Minimum Order Quantity (MOQ)
Minimum order quantity in China is the lowest number of units of a product that a customer must order in order for the business to be willing to fulfill their order.
The MOQ is often used by a Chinese manufacturer in a production run. In producing kits for health care, the MOQ would be important so as to know the number you need to produce for your buyers.
You can calculate your MOQ by dividing your order volume per hour by the number of deliveries you can make per hour. Confirming the order from your buyers and then beginning production with the MOQ will then be the next step.
In China, if you place an order smaller than this number, it won't get made unless there's extra capacity in their schedule. Once you've determined your MOQ and picked out your Chinese manufacturer(s), it's time for pricing.
There are tons of factors that go into pricing but generally speaking the following applies to first aid kits for health care:
The more components/features your kit has, the higher price tag it will likely be given that each additional component adds to both setup costs and production costs. Additionally, if your components are very common, the price might be lower than if they are not as readily available.
The more color options and unique design you want for your kit, the higher price tag it will likely be given that each additional option adds to both setup costs and production costs.
Volume pricing is typically also an option which will provide a discount off of the regular price per unit as long as you place minimum order quantity (MOQ) requirements.
Trademark
Before beginning any work it's important to be aware that there are several trademarking requirements for production per region.
In China each product is required to have a unique name and logo which makes sure no other products can come out with the same name/logo as yours, this will bring confusion to customers and it's easily something you want to avoid.
It takes less than two weeks and costs about $20-$50 USD depending on region, don't forget or you might end up trying to sell your kit under another brand which would cost you time and money.
It pays off in the long run if you take this step seriously since someone else could copy your idea before you get a chance to market it.
Securing FDA Approval
Once everything has been finalized regarding product development, it's now time to start working on securing FDA approvals.
This process can take a significant amount of time which is another reason to start as early as possible. Depending on your product, this might require several certifications/approvals from various parts of the world including Europe and Australia if you plan on going global.
Some items for most kits will likely need specific approvals in order to be sold in certain regions but most won't since most products are relatively simple compared to electronics etc.
Arranging meetings with FDA officials can be tricky because they don't meet with just anyone, so it's important that you do everything in your power to continue the conversation after initial contact.
If at all possible, you want to go through an intermediary who has previous experience with FDA officials so they know what's required when actually meeting with them.
Once you make contact and they agree on a meeting, it's important to bring as much documentation as possible because this will be the first thing they ask for.
After reviewing your documents and research, your approvals should arrive within six months of initial contact.
This step requires patience which is another reason that starting early is important since it takes time to do the proper research before you attempt anything else.
If you have any specific questions regarding FDA approvals feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this article and I'll get back with you as soon as possible or direct you in a better/faster direction if possible!
Conclusion
Although it seems like a lot of work, if you really want to launch a new first aid kit product in China with just ideas, these steps will help you a lot.
Endeavor to follow them diligently and ensure that you carry out proper market evaluation as that is the first and most important step to your market experience.
Don't be afraid of developing a new medical equipment China. For the most part, if you're able to get your products manufactured at a high enough quality, then that's all you really need before making the final sale.
Of course, there are still other factors such as packaging, price, etc but finding a manufacturer for this product shouldn't cause any major problems if you know what you're looking for.
As always, never jump too quickly into anything and don't commit to anything without doing extensive research which is of great importance.
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