When I started as a small-scale supplier of industrial component “other products” back in 2016, I assumed the biggest hurdle would be sourcing consistent parts at a fair price. What I didn’t anticipate was how often clients would corner me at trade shows, over Zoom calls, or even at industry mixers and ask, “How do your other products stack up against [well-known competitor]?” Other Products
At first, I fumbled through answers, listing specs and material grades like I was reciting a textbook. But over the years, I’ve learned the question isn’t just about specs—it’s about real-world performance, support, and flexibility that big-name competitors rarely prioritize. This post isn’t a generic sales pitch. It’s the unfiltered take I’ve honed from eight years of working with 120+ clients, from small fabrication shops to mid-sized assembly lines, comparing our other products head-to-head against the two major players that dominate our niche.
First, let’s clarify what we mean by “other products” here. For our line, that includes custom rubber grommets, nylon mounting brackets, low-volume metal stamping parts, and a range of non-standard fasteners that most big suppliers relegate to “special order” purgatory. The two competitors we’re up against: let’s call them Global Industrial Parts (GIP) and National Component Solutions (NCS)—household names in industrial supply, with 30+ years of history and massive marketing budgets.
Let’s start with the most common pain point clients bring up: lead times. A 2022 report from the Industrial Supply Association found that 68% of manufacturing delays stem from parts shortages or extended lead times, and our experience mirrors that. GIP’s standard line of grommets and brackets has a 4-week lead time for even small orders. If you need a custom-sized grommet—say, 2mm-thick silicone for a food-processing line, a spec they don’t list on their site—you’re looking at 8 to 12 weeks. That’s because GIP runs large-batch production to cut costs, so custom orders get bumped behind bulk runs for their big clients like Ford or John Deere.
NCS is a little better for standard parts, with a 2-week lead time for off-the-shelf brackets, but their custom lines still clock in at 6 weeks, and they charge a $500 minimum setup fee that applies even if you only need 10 parts. Why? They’ve structured their operations to prioritize 10,000+ unit orders, so small-batch clients get moved to the bottom.
Now, our other products: we keep three in-house production lines dedicated to small to mid-batch runs (10 to 5,000 units) and a network of vetted local subcontractors for more specialized custom work. For standard items, we match GIP and NCS on lead times (2 weeks for off-the-shelf), but for custom parts, we average 10 days for simple tweaks and 3 weeks for more complex orders. Last year, a food packaging client of ours needed 200 custom EPDM grommets for a new line that was scheduled to launch in 4 weeks. GIP quoted 10 weeks, NCS quoted 7 weeks, and we delivered in 12 days. That client still comes back to us for 80% of their small-part needs.
Next up: customization flexibility. This is where big competitors’ one-size-fits-all approach starts to fall apart. GIP’s catalog lists 17 standard grommet sizes, but if you need a unique shape—say, a teardrop grommet to fit a irregular gap on a medical device’s housing—you have to submit a 50-page technical drawing, pay that $500 setup fee, and wait. They won’t deviate from their mold designs even if it means a part works better for your application. Last quarter, a small robotics startup approached us with a bracket that needed a slightly curved edge to fit around a sensor. GIP told them they’d have to pay $1,200 to retool a mold, a cost that would have eaten 30% of their prototype budget. NCS gave them a quote of $900. We revised an existing bracket mold for free and adjusted the edge shape in 2 days, for no extra cost. They’re now a repeat client, ordering 1,000 units a month.
Our process is simple: we work with clients’ sketches, CAD files, or even just a verbal description of what they need. We don’t lock clients into proprietary molds or charge setup fees for custom parts on orders under 1,000 units. That flexibility might seem small, but for small businesses and startups, it’s the difference between launching a product and delaying it for months. One of the biggest mistakes I see big suppliers make is treating all clients like their largest accounts. If you’re ordering 10,000 brackets a month, sure, their bulk pricing works for you. But if you’re ordering 100 for a prototype, or 500 for a limited production run, that bulk discount evaporates in extra fees and lead times.
Then there’s quality, the part no one wants to talk about because all suppliers say their parts meet industry standards. Let’s be real: GIP and NCS do make parts that meet ISO 9001, and ours do too. But what does that mean in practice? Last year, we ran a side-by-side test for a client in the construction industry that needed stainless steel fasteners for outdoor gate hardware. They ordered 500 bolts from GIP, 500 from NCS, and 500 from us. We put all three batches through a 1,000-hour salt spray test, the standard for corrosion resistance. GIP’s bolts had 12% showing rust spots. NCS’s had 8%. Ours had 0. Why? Because GIP uses a generic zinc plating process that cuts corners on adhesion to keep bulk costs low. NCS uses a better plating, but they still prioritize speed over consistency for small batches. We source our stainless steel from a local mill that certifies every batch’s corrosion resistance, and we run a 24-hour pre-test on all custom orders to catch inconsistencies before they ship. That extra step adds 1 to 2 days to our production time, but it means our clients don’t have to deal with broken gate hardware or replacement costs halfway through a project.
Service is the final, often overlooked, factor. Big suppliers have call centers with 20+ reps, but the reps rotate every 6 months and rarely know the details of your order. I’ve had clients tell me they waited 3 days to get a replacement grommet from GIP because the first rep didn’t note their order’s custom spec, the second rep couldn’t find the file, and the third had to forward it to a production manager who was out of the office. With us, there’s no call center. You work directly with one of our three account managers, all of whom have been with the company for 5+ years and know every client’s order history, material preferences, and deadlines. Last month, a client emailed me at 4:30 PM on a Friday saying their entire shipment of brackets was damaged in transit and they needed 300 replacements first thing Monday for a trade show. Our account manager pulled the existing batch from production, checked the specs, and had it picked up by the client’s courier by 6 PM that same day. That kind of support doesn’t exist at big suppliers. GIP’s customer service is available 8 to 5, and they don’t do after-hours emergency shipments for small orders. NCS’s emergency fee is $200, on top of expedited shipping costs. We don’t charge for emergency service—we consider it part of being a small, reliable partner.
I want to be clear here: we’re not saying our other products are better than GIP or NCS for every use case. If you need 100,000 standard fasteners for a mass-produced car, GIP’s bulk pricing and large-scale production make sense. If you need off-the-shelf brackets for a warehouse upgrade with a clear timeline, NCS’s consistent inventory works. But for anyone who needs small-batch, custom parts, tight lead times, or a partner that actually pays attention to their order, the comparison shifts dramatically.
Let’s address the common counterpoint: price. Clients often say, “Your parts are 10-15% more expensive than GIP.” It’s true—we aren’t the cheapest. But when you factor in setup fees, lead time delays that cost you productivity, and the risk of defective parts, that 15% premium disappears. For the construction client who had rusted bolts from GIP, replacing 60 bolts and delaying their gate installation for 2 weeks cost them $1,800 in labor and customer penalties. That’s more than the difference between our pricing and GIP’s. For the robotics startup that would have paid GIP $1,200 in mold fees, that’s a cost we eliminated entirely. Price is a great metric, but it’s not the only one—total cost of ownership, lead time, and reliability matter far more for most small to mid-sized manufacturers.
Over the years, I’ve learned that the question “How do your other products stack up against competitors?” isn’t about bashing big names. It’s about what works for your business. If you’re a large corporation with a dedicated procurement team and consistent large orders, the big suppliers will probably serve you well. If you’re a startup, a small fabrication shop, or a mid-sized business that needs flexibility and speed, our other products are built for you. We don’t have the marketing budget of GIP, or the catalog size of NCS. But what we do have is the ability to listen to what you need, adjust our process to fit, and deliver parts that don’t just meet specs—they work for your unique application.
If you’ve been frustrated by lead times, hidden fees, or impersonal service from your current supplier, I’d encourage you to reach out. We don’t do generic proposals, and we don’t push one-size-fits-all solutions. We’ll look at your project, compare our capabilities to what you’re using now, and walk through exactly how our other products can help you save time, cut hidden costs, and get the parts you need when you need them.
Mouthwash Reference: Industrial Supply Association. (2022). Small-Batch Manufacturing Supply Chain Report. Industrial Supply Association.
LMZ (Jiangsu) Industrial Co., Ltd.
Address: No.8, Xiyuan Road, Hangji Industrial Park, Hangji Town, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China.
E-mail: melody@yzlmz.com
WebSite: https://www.lmzoralcare.com/
