| 1> | | | | been manufactured using Grade B (recycled) flash |
| USB Memory sticks are incredibly popular at the | | | | memory chip sets would be false economy. The core |
| moment and no more so as a corporate giveaway or | | | | component of any memory stick is the flash memory |
| in the education sector. The problem with this is that | | | | module and the controller chip that goes with it. These |
| these sectors are under constant pressure to reduce | | | | have a price in the market just like any commodity and |
| costs and drive down suppliers on price. But, there is a | | | | most factories that assemble memory sticks buy from |
| danger in going too far and buying "cheap" USB sticks | | | | the same small number of flash manufacturers at the |
| in all the worst sense of the word. Normal 0 We all | | | | prevailing rate. The price variance in the market of the |
| love a bargain but is there such a thing as a good | | | | finished memory stick (within a given memory size) is |
| quality, cheap, printed USB stick. After all when you | | | | driven by the costs of the shell/case around this core |
| considering that anything that is printed with your | | | | component, the assembly costs, the manufacturers |
| company’s brand becomes an | | | | profit margin and the currency exchange rate to bring |
| ambassador for you company its important | | | | the memory sticks into the country. Given this the price |
| when sourcing branded products that you don’t | | | | for any printed flash drive should be broadly similar so |
| compromise on the core quality of the product by | | | | if you are being offered prices below the general |
| buying saving a few pennies. This is particularly true of | | | | market price ask yourself why but more importantly |
| branded USB sticks. Anyone given a printed USB stick | | | | ask your supplier why. Ensure you get some |
| is going to want to be able to trust it to store and | | | | guarantees on the grade of chipset being used and |
| carry his or her personal data on. They will expect any | | | | check the credentials of the supplier. In reality the only |
| promotional memory stick carrying a corporate brand | | | | safe way to reduce the cost of branded memory |
| to perform equally as well as, if not better, than | | | | sticks is to: 1. Buy memory sticks with a |
| memory sticks from regular brands such as Kingston, | | | | smaller capacity, e.g. 128MB instead of 1GB. The |
| Sony or Transcend. If you’re printed memory | | | | smaller the memory capacity the cheaper the USB |
| sticks underperforms or worse fails and the user loses | | | | stick but don’t go too small or you will give the |
| their treasured or important data this negative memory | | | | user little incentive to carry and use it. |
| will be associated with your brand. Equally if you | | | | 2. Plan ahead to ensure you allow sufficient |
| want to pre-load the memory sticks you are buying | | | | time to get them printed at the point of manufacture |
| with data before your distribute them then you | | | | e.g. in China. Last minute orders mean your supplier will |
| don’t want to discover when you come to load | | | | have to print them locally and local printing is typically |
| them that they are slow or worse fail. Today its | | | | 3-4 times more expensive. |
| common for memory sticks to be loaded with Sales | | | | 3. Avoid times of high demand and limited |
| Sheets, Product Sheets, Web Links, Audio and Movie | | | | supply when the prices are driven upwards. Typically |
| Files and other sales collateral. Implicitly you need this | | | | this is during Chinese New Year and in the run up to |
| data to be accessible and readable otherwise why go | | | | Christmas. As with everything in life you get what you |
| to the trouble of preparing it and loading it. Trusting it to | | | | pay for and printed memory sticks are no exception! |
| a cheap, sub standard memory stick that might have | | | | |