This approach offers greater control over production. Despite good intentions of efficiency, creeping costs like labor, inventory management and rework can quickly outweigh any initial savings from in-house fabrication. That is especially true if working with plastic lies outside your core expertise.
When is built-to-order or outsourcing plastic fabrication worth a look? This blog explores how custom plastic fabrication reduces sourcing complexity, enhances efficiency, and helps businesses optimize supply chain operations.
The Role of Custom Plastic Fabrication in Supply Chains
Creating a product or part from corrugated plastic sheets and rolls serves a distinct purpose. However, when this process is outsourced vs fabricated in-house, there are advantages that can create efficiencies and cost savings, including a reduction in excess inventory, optimizing production space and allowing your team to focus on more critical operations.
In Deloitte’s Global Outsourcing Survey, respondents cited two core benefits of outsourcing.
- 65% said outsourcing allows them to focus on core business objectives.
- 63% discovered overall cost savings through their partnerships with outside experts
Common Challenges in Sourcing Custom Plastics
Many companies struggle to find a cost-effective provider for custom plastic fabrication. The alternative — purchasing off-the-shelf products — often falls short, whether due to material limitations or inadequate strength. In industries like packaging and logistics, generic solutions simply don’t cut it.
Key benefits of custom plastic fabrication
Custom plastic fabrication is the best way to get materials that meet the exact strength and durability requirements for your application. A high-quality fabricator can source or even create materials that have the properties you seek, such as impact resistance or flexibility. Then they can be shaped and finished to match your specifications.
2. Streamlined inventory management
For manufacturers, inventory management of corrugated plastic supplies and other materials can have an impact on the bottom line, raising the risk of overstocking and understocking. With that comes unplanned costs associated with procurement, warehousing, expedited orders and production delays.
Custom plastic fabrication eliminates the need to order and store raw materials and parts on-site. With made-to-order solutions, you receive exactly what you need — when you need it.
3. Increased supply chain agility
Production changes at any stage can be disruptive. Shifts in production scale, assembly requirements, material needs and specifications and throw your supply chain off track.
A skilled fabricator will have a deep familiarity with navigating unexpected production shifts. They'll have the processes to anticipate and respond quickly, minimizing disruption to the supply chain. Because they’re skilled and experienced with this medium, they’ll almost always have a process that’s faster and less expensive than what you can do in-house.
Applications for custom fabricated plastic
Packaging solutions
- Pallet inserts – Improves stacking efficiency and protects products.
- Reusable bins and boxes – Reduces waste with long-lasting alternatives.
- Protective coverings and flexible wraps – Shields products from impact, weather exposure and contamination.
- Dividers and partitions – Keeps products separated during transport.
- Slip sheets and layer pads – Provides stability for stacked items..
- Trays, containers and cases – Custom-fit solutions for packaging smaller and irregular items.
Corrugated plastic offers superior durability compared to traditional disposable solutions, making it ideal for industrial use and machine interface.
- Machine guards – Provides a protective barrier against moving parts.
- Material handling bins – Sturdy storage and sorting solutions for manufacturing facilities.
- Workstation dividers and shields – Reduces contamination and improves safety.
- Protective covers for equipment – Shields machinery from dust and debris.
- Component trays for inventory and assembly lines – Organizes small parts efficiently.
- Temporary flooring and walkway mats – Lightweight and impact-resistant surface protection.
How Liberty Plastics supports supply chain efficiency
At Liberty Plastics, we’re more than just a trusted supplier of corrugated plastic — we specialize in custom fabrication to deliver finished products that meet your needs.
Our Custom Fabrication Capabilities
We offer three grades of Wave-Core® corrugated HDPE plastic, with the ability to customize density, flexibility and strength to your specifications.
- Wave-Core® Standard – Ideal for everyday applications, including bins and trays.
- Wave-Core® Flex – Designed to flex and roll for unique protective applications.
- Wave-Core® Ultra – Created from impact-resistant HDPE resins for maximum durability.
Specialty resins & additives
- FDA-compliant HDPE – Safe for food and medical applications.
- Flame retardant additives – Meets UL 94 V-2 standards.
- UV stabilizers – Protects against weathering for outdoor use.
- Die-cutting – Ensures exact fit for your application.
- Sonic welding – Seamless assembly for enhanced durability.
- Wire reinforcement & fasteners – Strengthens structure and longevity.
- Screen printing & embossing – Custom branding for enhanced visibility.
- Custom colors – Match your brand or use color coding for production efficiency.
Precision fabrication services
- Pre-assembled solutions – Ready-to-use products shipped directly to your facility.
- Rapid turnaround times – Ensures minimal supply chain disruptions.
- Inventory planning assistance – Optimize your stock levels and reduce waste.
Let us design and fabricate your plastic solution
At Liberty Plastics, we customize plastic fabrication solutions to meet the unique demands of your industry. Contact us today to discuss your project and see how we can enhance your supply chain efficiency.