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Let's say you have iterated successfully until you got a good prototype, and you have ensured production can run smoothly. Before making a large batch and "pushing it onto the market", it is highly advised to spend a little time on test marketing, phase 6 of our series on developing a new product. What is Test Marketing? Test marketing is a process for testing a product within a specific geographic area. It allows you introduce your product to the marketplace through different sales … [Read more...]

Many importers take the time to define their product expectations and to get good pre-production samples from their Chinese suppliers, but completely forget to specify the type of packaging required. We classified this under "other considerations" in this series of articles on new product development. What is the Purpose of Packaging? Package design plays an important role in the sales and marketing aspects of the business, promoting the brand as well as the company and to some extent … [Read more...]

I wrote before about the importance of writing a product specification sheet. It is the bare minimum every importer should document. However, if you develop your own product and have it made in China, you should document additional technical data. And in some instances it is a requirement -- for example, all CE marking directives require the manufacturer of the product to create a technical file. As the importer, you are considered the manufacturer. You have to be able to demonstrate with … [Read more...]

Many companies develop a new product but totally overlook the safety and regulatory requirements that will apply to that new product. We have pulled some information from different sources to give you an idea of what to look out for here in phase 5.9. (Take a look at the whole series on developing a new product here.) Different countries have different regulations that must be met in order to sell a product within that country. Some other countries stipulate that getting your products … [Read more...]

Once a first assembly job has been completed, it is time to review the results. It is not only a matter of checking quality and giving feedback to the Chinese factory as you'll discover here in phase 5.8. (Remember that you can see the whole series on developing a new product here.) First, what is an assembly line? It is a manufacturing process in which interchangeable parts are added to a product in a sequential manner to create an end product. In most cases, a manufacturing assembly … [Read more...]

In phase 5.7 of developing a new product once a prototype has been tested, design iterations have taken place, and tooling is ready (if applicable), it is time to test whether quality products can be made at the right speed in the Chinese factory you have selected. (Don't forget that you can see the whole series on developing a new product here.) As  you will see, the new product development process we advise follows somewhat the same logic as the AQPQ (Advanced Product Quality Planning … [Read more...]

In many cases, manufacturing a new product necessitates the preparation of custom tooling. Therefore phase 5.6 is an important step. (Don't forget that you can see the whole series on developing a new product here.) The output from the design reviews should include a data pack with 3D CAD files and the relevant technical information for each part so that the Chinese supplier can produce tooling that will be able to produce production intent parts. For example, if we consider a product … [Read more...]

After building a prototype and subjecting it to functional tests, you will likely need to make revisions from both a functional standpoint in order to ensure the product actually meets the business goals as well as from a product specification standpoint, which could include cosmetic changes like shape, size, color, and finish. We're now at phase 5.5. Don't forget that you can see the whole series on developing a new product here. An iterative cycle would include a design review where … [Read more...]

Once you have built a prototype, it is a good idea to subject it to functional tests (phase 5.4). This is what we cover in this part of our series on new product development. Wikipedia defines a physical test as: ‘a qualitative or quantitative procedure that consists of the determination of one or more characteristics of a given product, process or service according to a specified procedure. Often this is part of an experiment’. Basically, once you have produced your working prototype … [Read more...]

One key milestone in a new product development cycle is phase 5.3, making a prototype. (Remember, you can see the whole series on developing a new product here). What is a prototype? A prototype is a representation of a design produced before the final solution exists. It allows you and potentially your future customers to understand the product. Prototype models are often used for photo shoots, trade shows and exhibitions, customer feedback, and design verification purposes. What are … [Read more...]