Manufacturer Selection – Finding the right manufacturer for your product is definitely an essential part of a successful venture. But that is a very vague statement. How do you know what makes a good manufacturer? The answer is experience. If you need help selecting a manufacturer, I can certainly help you make that decision. If you are keen to do this yourself, I have created a guide on how to find one in the Step by Step guide section of this website.

Production Quote – After selecting the manufacturer, you will obtain a quote for your product based on the quantity you require. If the quote comes in too high this is also an opportunity to refine the design to bring it back into the price point. There may be features of the product that the factory has to outsource. This usually adds excessive costs.

First Prototype – Once the design meets the required manufacturing price the first prototype unit will be made by your manufacturer. This is usually much higher in cost since the setup costs are not amortized over a production run. However, this is still a critical step. The Prototype not only will reveal how well a manufacturer will produce the product, but it will also show flaws that will need to be addressed prior to production.

Quality Documentation – Perfect first prototypes are very rare, if not mythical. Also, they do not provide any visual aids for manufacturer to understand what is and what is not acceptable. Less than perfect prototypes are very useful in creating quality documentation that will be used as instructions for manufacturing. They will also be a part of your purchase order.

Final Prototype (AKA Golden Sample) – You may find that you will require several updates to your prototype to achieve your desired outcome, however once you are happy you will need to have the final prototype made. This is usually a production sample. It should be made with the same tooling and processes that you will use in production. If you are about to place a substantial order for the product. It is worthwhile to run a batch of units to determine the consistency of production. But if you are starting with small runs, I would recommend 3 to 5 units. These can be distributed to different stake holders of the project. You would keep one, the factory would keep one as a reference. Your quality inspection company would keep one, and one might be given to your local assistant if you have one. The last one can be sent to your marketing team for production photography.

Assembly and Manufacturing Procedures – You may require assembly instructions not only for the manufacturing, but you may also need them for packaging as well as customer instructions if your product requires assembly. I have created dozens of high technology instructions sets for:

• Manufacturing

• Testing

• Packaging

• Container Loading

• Product Assembly

Revision – Cost Reduction & Manufacturing Efficiencies – Each order you place with your manufacturer will reveal challenges as far as quality and efficiencies in manufacturing your product. Don’t be alarmed, all manufacturing has wastage, all manufacturing has problems. This is a continuous learning process for you and your manufacturer. Don’t hope for a perfect run, expect failures, be prepared.