When it comes to mechanical and/or electrical products, importers often wonder what level of perfection they should aim for when it comes to pre-production prototypes. Chinese manufacturers can move very quickly for a few weeks, and then get distracted by another shiny project. And many projects get stalled after the buyer asked for one or two revisions that became obvious once prototypes were made. Therefore it sometimes makes sense to start with a very simple prototype version, to move fast … [Read more...]
Testing the Concept (New Product Development) – (Developing a New Product Series Part 4)
This is the 4th in the series of 19 articles helping you through the New Product Development process. We will be moving on to the third phase now: Phase Objectives Concept testing is carried out after the idea screening. The objective of this phase is to determine the following: Gain an understanding of what potential buyers and customers think of the product concept Determine if the market is ‘ready’ for the new product (i.e. can the product sell?) Understand what changes … [Read more...]
The Stage ‘Gate’ Review Meeting in the NPD Process – (Developing a New Product Series Part 3)
In the previous article, we mentioned that there should be a Stage Gate Review meeting between each of the development phases. Here in part 3 of the series, we will look at the guidelines for these Stage Gate Reviews. (Don't forget that you can see the whole series on developing a new product here). What is a Stage Gate Review Meeting This review meeting is commonly referred to as the Gate which acts as a stop/go virtual barrier between phases. These gates serve as quality control checkpoints … [Read more...]
Screening Ideas for New Product Launch – (Developing a New Product Series Part 2)
This is the second in the series of articles helping you through the New Product Development process. Phase 1 (idea generation) was described here. (Don't forget that you can see the whole series on developing a new product here). Here we will be focusing on the next process step, phase 2: The goal is to identify one or two solid potential ideas that can move into Phase 3 and eventually made in China and sold in your target market. Idea Screening Once all the viable ideas are … [Read more...]
Developing your own Product and Getting it to Market – (Developing a New Product Series Part 1)
One popular method to follow when developing your new product is to apply a phased step process as developed by Robert G Cooper. The different phases are shown in the diagram below. We are kicking off a series of articles that will take us through each phase and highlight the key aspects and what you should be doing to ensure your product successfully gets to market. We will be providing different examples throughout the series which we hope will help you in your product development and … [Read more...]
Why you Need a Backup Factory for your China Production
In this article, I want to give advice to importers of custom products (i.e. not "off the shelf") who just spent many months getting a new product development right and that are ready to launch manufacturing in China. Chances are, they did not work with a big factory on this. Bigger factories tend to be less flexible, more expensive, and less interested in unproven product concepts. However, there are two problems with relatively small manufacturers in China. 1. An immature quality … [Read more...]
Auditing the PCBA Process of an EMS Factory in China
If you have purchased electronics products from China, you may well have been in contact with an Electronic Manufacturing Services (or commonly known as EMS) company. These suppliers provide design, test, manufacture, as well as return and repair services for electronic components for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). One key process is the PCB assembly, or PCBA. What an EMS company does You can sub-contract out all aspects of the new product development including the design, which … [Read more...]
Successfully Launching Production In China: 12 Steps For Buyers
Every year, thousands of inexperienced buyers are coming to China to find a supplier and launch production. However, getting a perfect pre-production sample is not enough. Do you know who is going to make your products, and in which conditions? Launching production in China soon? Follow these steps... Here are the steps buyers should be following when launching production in China in order to maximize success and avoid the major pitfalls: Visit a factory (and write its address down), … [Read more...]
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