Full Question
Do you make a single-cavity mold at a low cost tooling cost, or a 20-cavity mould at higher cost, but much great efficiencies for large volume production?

Answer
Because the tooling costs are low in China, on most projects that are new I like to open the single cavity first and run some production parts. These parts can help secure the contracts with the buyer, and then when the big order is placed, open the multi cavity in confidence. BUT, since the multi-cavity tool is new, there is always a chance for something to go wrong, and a pre-production approval process should take place to make sure the parts are to spec. Sloppy suppliers will run production without getting approved on the parts from the new tooling. Many buyers don't even ask about the tooling ownership, let alone cavity count and this assumption does not benefit anyone. I advise buyers to get transparency about tooling situation with their suppliers before going to production.