Determining where to get hydraulic hoses made can be a daunting process. With so many options available, it’s important to evaluate your business’s unique needs before making a firm decision. This guide from the experts at RB Royal is designed to help you evaluate your options and determine how to proceed.

6 Things to Consider When Determining Where to Get Hydraulic Hoses Made

Consider Your Needs

The first step before deciding where to get hydraulic hoses made is to evaluate your company’s needs. Start by answering the following questions for your business.

What volume of hydraulic hoses do you need?
How quickly do you need the supply to come in?
What specifications do you need?
What is the range of pricing your business can tolerate while still making adequate profits?
If you plan to expand operations in the future, how will the answers to the previous questions change?

The more concrete your answers to these, the better you can evaluate your options. Thinking seriously about your current and future needs can help you select a supplier that doesn’t simply meet your requirements right now, but can also meet the demands of your business’s growth.

For example, suppose that in 2025, you need 1,000 6-foot hydraulic hoses per month. Your operations are fairly small, with total business costs amounting to $15,000 a month (without accounting for the hoses). Revenue minus taxes comes to $30,000 a month. You want to save at least $10,000 each month to reinvest into the business. That means that $5,000 is the maximum you can spend on hydraulic hoses plus shipping, or $5 per unit.

Suppose you find a low-volume manufacturer that charges $3 per unit for production and shipping. This will leave you with $12,000 to reinvest into the business each month.

Suppose that by 2030, you have been able to reinvest so much into your business that you can significantly increase operations. You now require 5,000 total hydraulic hoses, with 2,000 6-foot-long hoses and 3,000 4-foot-long hoses. You are now making $60,000 in revenue per month minus taxes, with $25,000 a month in total business costs (without accounting for the price of the hoses).

You want to invest $20,000 back into the business per month. This leaves you with $15,000 to spend on hydraulic hoses plus shipping, or $3 per unit each month.

Now, there are a few ways this can become a problem for your business if you did not think ahead when deciding where to get hydraulic hoses made.

For example, if you have selected a low-volume supplier, they may not be able to accommodate your increase in total needed units. If they cannot match production to meet your business’s demands, you must either supplement with another supplier, complicating operations, or switch entirely.

Now, suppose your supplier has offered you a price lock on units and shipping as a sign of good faith. Over time, through inflation, changes in the industry, supply chain issues, and more, the average pricing for each unit plus shipping is now $5. That means if you switch suppliers, you will be paying at least $2 more per unit, costing you $10,000 more each month.

Not only does this create a logistical nightmare for your business, but it also restarts the process of identifying a new supplier. This can be exhausting, time-consuming, and expensive, especially while you are also taking the proper steps to scale.

That is why it is so important to evaluate your future needs when selecting a manufacturer, not just your current needs. If you had selected a supplier in 2025 that could scale supply to meet your business’s needs in 2030, you would greatly reduce the time and resources required to change your business’s output. You would also establish rapport with the company, and would not have to start a relationship from scratch again.

Evaluate Local Options

If you can, partnering with a local supplier is a great way to reduce your shipping costs and save thousands of dollars over time. Even a small reduction in overall shipping costs can end up making a big difference when accounted for over the years or even decades.

For example, suppose your company is located just outside Dallas, Texas. You need a shipment of 10,000 hydraulic hoses to be delivered every month, and are trying to choose between two suppliers. One is in Waco and one is in Miami, Florida.

The Waco supplier charges 20 cents to ship each unit, while the Miami supplier charges 70 cents. For 10,000 units a month, that is a $5,000 difference in cost. Over a year, that is a $60,000 difference, and over five years, that is a $300,000 difference.

Now, suppose you find another supplier in New Orleans, Louisiana that only charges 5 cents more in shipping per unit. While that is only a $500 difference per month, over 20 years, that amounts to $120,000 just in shipping costs.

That being said, if you can’t find a local supplier, finding one within your region is the next best thing. Anything you can do to reduce your overall shipping costs will save your business money over time and will free up capital for you to reinvest in your equipment, employees, and systems.

Request a Quote

Speaking of pricing, before determining where to get hydraulic hoses made, you will need to request a quote that is tailored to your specific needs and customizations. However, you shouldn’t stop at just one. Getting two to four quotes will allow you to better evaluate your options.

Be sure to keep in mind hidden fees and costs associated with each company as well. For example, sales tax may be higher when you partner with a supplier in California versus a supplier in Ohio. Some manufacturers may also include various fees in their pricing that others don’t, so read through any provided quotes carefully.

Get in Contact

Once you have identified two or three potential suppliers, the next step is to get in contact with a representative. This is also a great opportunity to evaluate a supplier’s customer service department and ask any questions you may have.

This is also a good time to ask questions regarding the company’s processes, wait times, capabilities, volume capacity, and more, ahead of time. This will ensure you ask each company the same questions so you can compare them.

Conduct a Competitor Analysis

Using the above-listed factors, you can create a comprehensive competitive analysis that will help you determine where to get hydraulic hoses made. Ask yourself how their business model, capabilities, pricing, and customer service standards align with your long-term goals.

When evaluating, be sure to prioritize what’s most important to you. For example, if you don’t mind having longer shipping times if it means overall lower pricing, you should keep that in mind while weighing your options. If you’re more concerned about selecting a partner with a great customer service department rather than the best pricing, that may influence your decision as well. It’s all about what works best for your business.

We hope this guide has been helpful to you, no matter where you are in your journey to find a proper fluid transfer solutions supplier. With careful planning and consideration, you can make an informed decision on where to get hydraulic hoses made for your business.

If you’re still feeling lost, we can help. RB Royal Industries has been providing quality hydraulic hose services to customers since 1942, making us the experts in all things fluid transfer. To get in touch with our team, you can fill out the form here. We’re looking forward to learning more about your business’s unique needs.

Where to Get Hydraulic Hoses Made: Tips for Finding the Right Partner