Indonesia says, "Hello Carbon Fiber!"

First Stop Introductions
#1

Hi,
I’m from Indonesia, I am 23 and I am an aspiring carbon fiber enthusiast whom like to learn about manufacturing carbon fiber goods and planning to have a home industry scale carbon fiber manufacturing plan, hoping to grow and become one of the pioneering carbon fiber manufacturer in Indonesia.

I recently browse some chinese made carbonfiber difuser for my car and gotten realy good amount of interest in importing some oem chinese made carbonfiber, but due to intensive net research and forum jumping I am a little bit afraid of their quality and precision. So, I decide to learn on doing it my own.

I have few questions in mind for this industry.

  1. Have anyone heard of jc sportsline (it will be number one on google), and have any experience doing oem with them?

  2. I would like to start by outsourcing my production to OEM manufacturer, do you have any suggestion on who I can contact for good OEM parts?

  3. I have a very small and limited budget, is it better for me to start my own production or to outsource?

  4. If I do outsorce not from china, USA or europe perse. How much money do I look for investment in developing say 3 lines of products and get them to the production line?

My simple business plan would be:

  1. Sell my own brand of carbonfiber goods by outsourcing the production (and china have really cheap price)

  2. Generate good ammount of money from it and while at it start on learning the manufacturing process and try to do limited run for custom goods (e.g. Car parts, furnitures, and gimmicks like key chain and stuffs)

  3. When I get a hold of the manufacturing process on c.fiber, I’d start another line for this custom and high end carbon fiber parts.

  4. Selling both the chinese made and the in house made c.fiber while slowly diminishing the chines made parts.

  5. Start doing oem for other company.

I know it’s a long intro and seems like an eager plan, but I’m really excited when I found out about this forum. I hope I can make acquaintance and learn from all the experts to produce outstanding quality of c.fiber goods.

#2

Welcome to the forum Garglin! I sent you a private message. Im located in Shanghai. Feel free to contact me

#3

Welcome to the Forum Garglin. Good luck on your venture! This forum is a good place to learn. Hojo knows his stuff.

#4

Hi guys, thanks for the welcome. Looking forward to exchange some insight with all of you here.

#5

I have had experience with them, seen the parts they produce and have installed parts they make. They are a big supplier and carry many parts which is convenient. I know that they do also outsource some of the manufacturing to some smaller companies. They have a wide range of materials using P/U, fiberglass, Carbon and ABS plastic. The problem with the company is the quality is not consistent. Fitment of the products is also a problem and usually requires modification or sometimes you will get parts that do not fit like the OEM and will have gaps and spaces that to me look bad. I will say that I know someone who bought a carbon fiber hood back in the US and after about 3 months it turned yellow…partly due to the fact that they do not clear coat or use any UV protection. A majority of the parts they produce that are Carbon fiber they use one layer of carbon and back the rest with fiberglass, which on a weight savings standpoint doesn’t save much and is not as strong as a pure carbon fiber part. Many companies in China manufacture this way to cut costs instead of all the layers being carbon fiber.Which is partly why I’m here in Shanghai China to change this method and produce High quality parts having control of every part in manufacturing.

I have contacts for many OEM manufacturers here in China and the US but the problem you will have is a minimum order requirement. Some companies will require you to buy containers or a minimum dollar value of products. If you are interested I may be able to help you get some of these products in lower quantity.

Depends what your budget is and what your looking to do. Starting your own manufacturing can be a really tough thing to do as many of the forum members here I am sure can let you know.
Not only are you selling your parts, but your also making the part and finishing the part, packaging, and shipping. Some shops will not see a profit for a year or so depending what you do and what market you get into. Producing your own parts can net you good quality if your good at making composites, but if you are just learning how to make composites, I suggest outsourcing, maybe trading and looking at the parts your selling. See the construction and learn more about making your own composites starting small. You can make money selling by outsourcing and then eventually make your own products after your capable of doing so. If you choose to start by just manufacturing on a limited budget, you might see yourself losing money and get discouraged. I’ve seen many drop out of this business because of this very reason.

This all depends on what you are looking to make. Size of moulds, complexity, material requirements, production method, type of mould material, plug work, prototyping, design, finishing standards, shipping back to Indonesia and many other factors. It is hard to say because you have so many variables.

Don’t let any of this discourage you, it’s just merely some advice I have for you from my experience over the years in this industry. I’ve had experience starting companies in the US and in China doing exactly what you’re doing, sometimes having a very limited budget. Your young and can learn a lot quickly from this forum and other forums so keep at it.

#6

Hi thank you for your reply, I’ve already reply directly to your email.