This monthly newsletter is designed to share what we’re learning, building, and seeing across the magnetic manufacturing landscape. From case studies and industry insights to production strategies and thought leadership, we hope you’ll find ideas and takeaways you can apply to your own work.Be honest: What do you really want from the relationship on the other side of a business affiliation?
Most companies present a rosy picture—an impressive scope, endless capabilities, and seamless delivery. Marketing tends to make everyone look the same even though they are not. It is not until the rubber meets the road that you really begin to understand who you are really working with.
The problem starts with the assumption that any partner can be everything, everywhere for everyone. In reality, partnerships typically fall into one of two categories: transactional or integrative. Is it the exchange of volume and margin for the agreed goal of best price or is it the development of a lasting partnership that addresses design and capability at a foundational level? Customer culture and the pressure of industry application usually decide which model is chosen.
In today’s turbulent geopolitical climate, there will be an obvious divide between those who have invested in relationships or transactions. Tariffs, trade instability, and global disruptions are revealing the full extent of the risks that come with relying solely on transactional models. Tooling, automation, and advanced manufacturing have reduced the barriers to direct access to customers, and the value of a transactional partner is reduced and exposed. When the price is your only offering, you are easy to replace.
Normally, these conditions may take years or even decades to discover but the combination of the pandemic and a current lack of trade stability today means that many businesses who built their business around providing sourcing and delivery will face serious challenges and some will fail to make it through.
Relationship-based models excel during these times. Yes, volatility still hurts. But so does the commitment to solve problems—together, in real-time. Because engineering and quality are so critical to these relationships, both sides know a transactional solution is rarely if ever an option. The time, trust, and technical collaboration built over time are not easily replicated—and they’re rarely worth trading for marginal price improvements.
Firms that choose to invest in deep, long-term relationships tend to hold stronger market positions that are more defensible. This allows them to focus on what’s next: product development, strategic acquisitions, and differentiated portfolios. Margin erosion still happens, but it’s subtle vs. jarring—and balanced by shared progress on future-facing work.
Today, when quality certifications and precision-engineered solutions demand heightened expertise and focus, “partnership” isn’t just a nice sentiment—it’s a practical model. Authentic, two-way collaboration—starting at the leadership level—creates alignment around shared goals. The effort required isn’t small. It is not an insulator that allows the supply partner to price indiscriminately but rather a balancing agent that reinforces value above all else.
Those firms that actively work together in this way show the hallmarks of intense activity in design, iterations for build, compliance, and most of all communication.
Curiosity is defined as the strong desire to know or learn something. The starting point for success in a partnership is that curiosity exists on both sides. The interest to learn, share, develop knowledge, and have a long-term mindset. This is what we have built at Allstar and what we are excited to continue to improve upon. I hope you will join us.