The automotive purchasing manager knows the importance of the right spring for the intended use. Get the wrong spring and your product won’t work effectively—which can lead to additional costs, dissatisfied customers, and safety risks. Instead of risking these negative possibilities, the automotive purchasing manager shouldn’t compromise and settle for a spring that isn’t quite right for the job—he should always go custom. Instead of trying to change the product design to fit the spring, change the spring to make it exactly what you need.

When it comes to custom springs, here are five things an automotive purchasing manager should be looking for.

1. Expertise

Creating a custom spring design can be complex. If the automotive purchasing manager doesn’t get the exact specifications quite right, he can be wasting his time and money. It’s always best to go with a manufacturer that has expertise and years of experience in custom designs. The engineers on site can help you understand the right design that is needed for your product and help you create it so the process is simple and easy. With their help and advice, no custom spring is too complicated. Everything is possible.

2. Prototyping

The smallest error during the design phase can render your spring useless. Precision is vital when it comes to your custom spring. You certainly don’t want to be spending money mass producing a custom spring that ultimately won’t work—just because of a simple error. An error that, if caught early on during the design process, could have been easily fixed in order to avoid additional problems.

With prototyping, you don’t have to worry about this. The manufacturer can create a unique component for you ahead of time so you can test it out and ensure that it works the way you need it to. When you go with a manufacturer with prototyping capabilities, you can catch configuration mistakes early so you can go back to the drawing board and make some tweaks before mass production begins.

3. Variety

A custom spring manufacturer is only as good as its variety. If you can’t choose the length, diameter, material, or finish of your spring, you still won’t be getting exactly what you need. It still will be better than what you’d get with a spring chosen from a catalogue, but it won’t be perfect. And as the automotive purchasing manager, you know that perfection is necessary in the components you buy. So make sure your manufacturer has all the variety you need before you start.

4. Tooling Options

You’ll also need tooling options if you expect to get the exact design you’re looking for. Having all the materials in the world won’t matter if your manufacturer doesn’t have the tooling equipment needed to create your custom design. If you know you’re going to need special tooling capabilities, take a tour of the supplier’s in-house tooling facility to save time.

5. Customer Service

You could have found a great manufacturer with expertise, prototyping abilities, variety, and tooling options for your needs. But if the suppler isn’t focused on providing excellent customer service, you might still end up with wasted time, frustrations, and added costs at the end of the day. Customer service is vital. As the automotive purchasing manager, it’s your job to make sure the entire manufacturing process goes as planned. Your manufacturer should be with you every step of the way to make sure you’re content with what’s going on while your custom spring is being created.