At GripWorks, our goal has always been simple: manufacture high-quality hand grips and tubes efficiently while keeping costs as competitive as possible for our customers.
Many customers ask why certain products have minimum order quantities or why grips are packaged the way they are. The answer lies in how industrial manufacturing has evolved over decades of producing millions of grips for manufacturers around the world.
A Manufacturing Process Built for Efficiency
GripWorks began manufacturing vinyl and foam hand grips long before online ordering existed. At that time, nearly every customer was an equipment manufacturer purchasing grips in large production quantities for products such as lawn equipment, cleaning tools, exercise equipment, medical devices, industrial machinery, and countless other applications.
To serve these manufacturers efficiently, our production processes, tooling, and packaging systems were designed to maximize productivity while minimizing manufacturing costs. These endeavors help maintain competitive pricing of the grips and tubes.
Many of those same principles continue to benefit customers today.
How Tooling Influences Production
Hand grips are produced using specialized tooling that contains multiple cavities. Each cavity forms one grip during a production cycle.
Several factors influence manufacturing efficiency:
- Smaller grips often allow more cavities to be built into a tool, producing more parts with each cycle.
- Larger grips have fewer cavities built into the tooling because of their size.
- Production equipment requires setup time regardless of the number of parts being manufactured.
- Longer production runs increase machine time, labor, and operating costs.
Standard production quantities help us make the most efficient use of our manufacturing equipment while maintaining consistent product quality.
Why Minimum Order Quantities Exist
Minimum order quantities are common throughout industrial manufacturing. They help offset the fixed costs associated with preparing equipment, setting up tooling, inspecting parts, and packaging finished products.
By manufacturing in efficient production runs, GripWorks is able to:
- Maintain competitive pricing
- Deliver consistent quality
- Reduce production waste
- Keep popular products readily available
- Support thousands of standard part numbers
Rather than increasing the price of every grip, standard order quantities allow these manufacturing costs to be shared across a production run.
Why Products Are Packaged the Way They Are
Packaging is another important part of manufacturing efficiency.
Whenever possible, GripWorks uses standard shipping cartons that are designed to:
- Protect products during shipment
- Maximize the number of grips per carton
- Reduce packaging material costs
- Improve warehouse efficiency
- Help control freight costs
Because grip sizes vary considerably, larger grips naturally require larger cartons and fewer pieces per box than smaller grips.
Using standardized packaging also allows us to maintain inventory, simplify shipping, and reduce unnecessary packaging expenses.
Industrial Shipping Is Different Than Consumer Shipping
Many customers are familiar with consumer shipping, where individual products are shipped in small quantities directly to homes. Industrial manufacturing operates differently. Commercial shipments often involve larger quantities, specialized packaging, dimensional freight calculations, and business delivery requirements. These factors influence shipping costs regardless of the value of the individual product.
Our packaging standards are designed to balance product protection, shipping efficiency, and overall cost.
Serving Both Manufacturers and Online Customers
As e-commerce expanded, many customers began purchasing smaller quantities directly online. While online ordering has made purchasing more convenient, the manufacturing process behind every GripWorks product remains the same.
We continue to manufacture using the same production methods that have supplied OEM manufacturers for decades while providing convenient purchasing options for customers of all sizes.
Our Commitment
Our manufacturing, packaging, and order quantity standards weren’t developed as restrictions—they evolved to provide reliable quality, efficient production, and competitive pricing. These practices allow GripWorks to continue delivering durable hand grips trusted by manufacturers across a wide range of industries. Whether you’re purchasing a standard grip or developing a custom solution, our team is always available to help determine the best option for your application.
Have questions? Please call 800-827-4747 or submit your question via our Contact Form.