Hey there,
Really enjoying the game. I have a couple questions about manufacturing components though. Generally, I’m wondering what the goal is in including this in the game (other than because you can)? I’m not trying to troll, just trying to get a feel for how best to give feedback.
For example, I notice that when I try to manufacture radiators, it takes 2 steel to make one radiator. Therefore I’m actually putting more strain on the resource importer (a finite commodity) by manufacturing them than I would by importing them, which discourages me from doing it.
It also takes up more floor space, so it’s using up part of my factory to do it, as well as extra staff and power.
I also don’t get enough feedback to know if I’m saving money overall by importing the steel and turning it into radiators.
This is likely a balancing issue at this point, but if we knew why we should be manufacturing, I at least would be able to give better feedback on if the current balance was helping or hindering that goal. At this point, I’m largely leaving that aspect of the game alone because I don’t see the benefit.
As well, and I don’t know if I mentioned it elsewhere, but I feel like manufacturing should be separate from production efficiency in the tech tree. Not sure why I need to be able to break “add engines” all the way down before I can manufacture a radiator.
I am afraid I have to agree with this. I tried an experiment to run a line off manufactured products (The ones that I could manufacture). I kept the importers for raw resources separate from the ones importing finished goods. I ran the slots that I could not build parts for off one importer and I ran the manufacturing off 2 importers. They could not keep up with the demand while the single importer for finished goods could.
I know this is probably not the intended use for these but even if I manufactured products and let the algorithm decide to choose ones I made or import items I would still not use them due to the importer load alone. I can build a fully functional, reasonably fast line on 3 importers.
I think the primary purpose is to save money. But for me, like for you, it seems money is less of a bottleneck than import speed, and indeed manufacturing things yourself makes this worse.
Maybe the game needs some rebalancing so that, say, 1 glass + 1 steel make 4 lights, instead of just one.
And also, yes, more feedback would be very much appreciated. Perhaps for each car made (or some kind of clever sliding window summary statistic), you could see a list of parts, with for each part whether it was imported (and for what price) or whether you made that part yourself (and the total cost of the imported raw materials).
The other option could be to have “Raw Material Importers” which can carry more than the regular type but can’t take processed mats, and/or are more plentiful than the others?
Manufacturing economics needs a major bit of economic balancing. This is planned…but currently I am concentrating on resource delivery bugs. Expect a better version soon.
I’m doing an ‘interim balance’ to make this less crazy than it currently is, so the next patch will include these changes (and probably some more):
3) Balance: Radiators and Rollcages now use 1/4 the steel they used before.
4) Balance: Starter motors, fuel tanks, flywheels and valves need 1/3rd the previous needed steel.
5) Balance: Wheels, axles, exhausts, brakes and lights use half the steel they used before.
Have I mentioned that the ridiculously fast responses to implementing improvements has been great to see? Don’t forget to take a break every once in a while 
Ok I’m actually working on this properly today, I now have a spreadsheet calculating the power cost/wage cost/resource cost/rent for every manufacturing slot and will be adjusting values to ensure they make sense in future. Immediately I can see that making the trunk and the hood is hilariously unprofitable, whereas 9with my new balances) the exhaust is scary cheap.
Expect a more balanced build for 1.06 
Cliffski,
Would it be better to have batch import like a real warehouse? Orders get placed and a truck comes and delivers it to the “loading area”, from there it is put in stock until needed.
This would actually be a really neat idea. Maybe have some lag between when you place an order and when it arrives.