QualityInspection.org

Quality Assurance, Product Development, and Purchasing Strategies in China

A Textbook on Design for Manufacturing and the NPI Process (EVT-DVT-PVT)

I am halfway through this book and I thought many readers would enjoy it: Product Realization: Going from One to a Million by Anna C. Thornton. Here is the book's presentation by its publisher: Product Realization: Going from One to a Million delivers a comprehensive treatment of the entire product launch process from beginning to end. Drawing upon the author's extensive first-hand experience with dozens of successful product launches, the book explores the process of bringing a design from … [Read more...]

Good Project Management With Chinese Suppliers From A Product Designer’s Perspective [Podcast]

Let's hear from an experienced product designer about project management with Chinese suppliers... In this episode, we catch up with Andy Bartlett, a friend of Sofeast, who is an enormously experienced product designer from the UK, to discuss his project management best practices and observations from his 'designer's' perspective for when developing a new product and manufacturing it in China. If you're developing a new product and have Chinese suppliers, you'll love this episode. Andy … [Read more...]

New Physical Products: Patents Should Come After Market Success

We talk to a startup company developing a new physical (hardware) product at least once a week, and I'd estimate that about 25% of them try hard to secure a patent. I get it. They are afraid of being copied. They know investors and customers will like it. It looks like a wise investment. And, of course, not many lawyers will discourage a patent application, which is -- for good reason -- in their list of the best ways to protect a new product's intellectual property. However, here is … [Read more...]

Prototesting: Reap All the Value of Proof of Concept Prototypes

Many of our clients design their own products. And we typically don't get involved in the initial concept/ideation phase. That's clearly not our competence, nor our offer. However, we are often invited to ask questions about their new product idea, to test if their concept is manufacturable, to confirm it won't be extremely hard to develop, etc. And we see the same patterns, over and over. Many people don't talk a lot to potential users/customers when planning for the features. They don't … [Read more...]

Why The Bill Of Materials (BOM) Is A Key Document For Importers [Podcast]

The Bill Of Materials - more important than you may think! The Bill Of Materials is an incredibly important document which spans the product development process and evolves as you get closer to mass production. It provides all of the product's key information, from both the supply chain side and also design and technical side, too. Think of it as a kind of list of components, suppliers, costs, quality and compliance test results, designs (showing the relationship between components and … [Read more...]

Is Your New Product Design Ready for Manufacturing in China? [5 Questions]

There is a misconception in many people's minds. They think there are many manufacturers in China & Vietnam capable of, and willing to, do a lot of the development work for a new product they think is promising. That is true if you have millions of Facebook followers, you run a popular TV program, or Apple's CEO declares they will distribute your product in his stores. In most cases, it is much harder, though.   5 product design questions you need to answer to be seen as a … [Read more...]

Dangers of Amortizing Development Costs in the Production Price

When I offered a model for guiding buyers to choose an ODM vs. OEM vs. CM supplier, I mentioned that OEM suppliers often "subsidize" the cost of developing the new product. Then, the buyer ends up paying the cost of development, but it is "amortized" in the unit cost of the product. I'd like to explain why, in the context of when manufacturing a new product, that can be dangerous for the buyer. … [Read more...]

Analyzing the (NPI) New Product Introduction Process & its Benefits [Podcast]

What is the new product introduction process? The new product introduction process is: A complete blueprint that takes an idea through various structured phases and that results in a finished product being launched into the marketplace. This process is driven and managed by a cross-functional team that keeps a check on every aspect of the project. The different phases are controlled by approval gates which ensure the project has met specific criteria before moving onto the next phase in … [Read more...]

Why Packaging Is Important For Both Protection & Product Differentiation

  We have worked with many companies that develop their own new product for manufacturing in China or Vietnam. They have spent months (or longer) on product design & development. But they completely overlooked why packaging is important, and merely plan to get to it at the last moment. Oh, but wait... they still want custom printing. That often means a 3 weeks lead time, AFTER a packaging material & type has been confirmed, AFTER the printing supplier has been qualified (a … [Read more...]

From New Product Design to Production: What Is on the Customer’s Plate?

Many people contact us with an idea for a new product they want to develop... and nothing else. We usually explain that they are not ready for talking to China-based manufacturers until they have done more 'homework'. Over the weekend, I listened to an episode of the Predictable Design Podcast (The Importance of Defining Project Milestones), which covered the main steps every new company that wants to manufacture a new physical product has to go through. It is a great listen. It inspired … [Read more...]