Smart Sourcing has its roots in manufacturing. Established in 1998, SSI emerged as a spin-off subsidiary from Electronic Hardware Corporation (EHC), a manufacturer and distributor of injection-molded plastic knobs, dials, and handles.
A leader in its industry, EHC hit a crossroads in the late 1990s.
“We were treading water at best”, says Steven Sgammato, President of EHC. “No matter what we did we couldn’t turn a profit so we decided to take action and explore China to develop direct relationships with offshore assembly plants.”
The goal was to lower manufacturing costs and gain access to capabilities without the capital investment of building or maintaining a plant. The venture was extremely successful and executives recognized that they could offer offshore manufacturing as a service to other medium size OEMs to lower costs. Hence, the beginning of Smart Sourcing.
Initially, Smart Sourcing helped other injection-molding manufacturers source products from China. But soon after developing our core vendor base, we began assisting OEMs with metal and electronic parts and eventually produced full turn-key products. Smart Sourcing understands the importance of relationship management and quality control in China. We manage vendors by placing our own employees in the factories.
Ten years later in 2008, Smart Sourcing has been featured in Fortune Magazine as one of the Global 100 top outsourcing companies in the world. Recognized by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals, SSI offers contract manufacturing services in plastics, metals, and electronics. Smart Sourcing also consults on quality assurance, logistics, and China market entry programs.
Smart Sourcing is not a product oriented company. We pride ourselves on the service that we offer whether it is manufacturing engineering, supply chain management, or customer advocacy in China. We are more than just a supplier and view all of our clients as long term partners in success.
