What is kitting and assembly?
Kitting is combining separate items into one ready-to-sell SKU. Assembly is the light preparation that makes it sellable: attaching accessories, fitting components, labeling, adding inserts and packing the finished unit. In fulfillment the two usually happen together, before the product is counted into inventory.
What is the difference between kitting and assembly?
Kitting groups finished items together without changing them. Assembly changes the product itself by joining parts into something new. A gift set of three existing products is kitting. Fitting a lid onto a bottle before it is boxed is assembly.
How much does kitting and assembly cost?
Most 3PLs price it per kit or per labor minute, plus storage for the components while they wait to be built. What moves the price is the number of pieces per kit, how much handwork each one needs, and how predictable your volumes are. A two-item bundle costs far less per unit than a multi-part build with an inspection at every step, so ask for pricing against your actual kit rather than an average rate.
Should kitting be done at the factory or at the fulfillment center?
At the factory it is usually cheaper per unit, but the full product configuration lives with one supplier and changing a single component means a new production run. At the fulfillment center you pay for the labor and keep the components separate, so you can change a bundle, run a seasonal variant or add an insert without going back to your suppliers.
Does kitting change how my inventory is counted?
Yes. Once a kit is built, its components stop existing as sellable stock and the finished kit becomes one SKU. Keep both views: component stock for reordering, and finished-kit stock for selling. Ask your provider to report both, so a shortage of one part is visible before it stops your orders.
Can DSCP Smart Fulfillment receive components from more than one supplier?
Yes. Components can arrive from separate suppliers on separate dates, from China or within the US. We verify quantities on arrival, hold the parts together, and build the kit once the set is complete.
How do I start kitting with DSCP Smart Fulfillment?
Send your kit contents, packaging requirements and expected monthly volume through the quote form on this page. We confirm the workflow and quality checkpoints in writing, build against a sample you approve, then hold the finished kits in our California and New Jersey warehouses for fulfillment. A dedicated account manager stays on your account from the first kit onward.