Many of my colleagues are buying tools from China, should I?
The Far East, and China in particular, represents a huge toolmaking resource based on a low wage economy. This can translate into tools that are very competitive against tools produced in the UK. However, as always, there is a "but"! Tooling is a process with many variables and these need to be managed. Sometimes doing this on the far side of the world is not straightforward. For example, building a development tool to investigate the viability of gas injection on a new part is not an obvious choice to do in China, mainly due to the communication issues. Conversely, a part that is well designed, thoroughly prototyped and with a good 'data package' (drawings and CAD files) could be an ideal candidate.
Each application has to be assessed with a view to the risk, costs, communication issues and the confidence in the supplier. (This is one area where a name from Google is not an answer, just the beginning of a long process of evaluation.) A good starting point is to assess whether you feel you can totally define your requirement in drawings and data, no conversations or discussions. If you can pass this rather strict test, then there is every chance the Far East is worth looking in to. If in doubt talk to Plunkett Associates, we may be able to help.