Design to Manufacturing
Of course, you might think if you ask a Product Designer to design and engineer your idea it will be manufactured sometime in the future. Why else would you start such a process?
Every single product should be designed for manufacturing.
Yes, it should.
Yet the reality is different.
Let’s face it. Most products lately are produced in Asia. Apple’s iphone and ipad are produced in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong in Guangdong Province. The Chinese province is home to almost any industry you can imagine. From electronics, chemicals, machinery and plastic compound manufacturing plants to printing, automotive and lighting. You name it – they’ve it.
Thus most likely your product will end up being produced someplace around here where our Chinese operations is located.
And that is what you to keep in mind even BEFORE you begin the Product Design. Just like the other critical factors such as sales, distribution and logistics.
Manufacturing in Asia is different compared to Western Countries. Factories do not always have very much the same processes and standards as developed countries. The machines used might be different or they may not be familiar with certain manufacturing processes that you assumed most suitable for your product. English is hardly spoken among engineers so communication can also be a challenge. And very often factories in Asia aren’t as experienced as western corporations, however this can be tough to determine.
You have to be aware of such issues and make sure they’re properly addressed BEFORE the design stage. Don’t let your product be over or under engineered by designers and engineers in the west. Your worst-case scenario is having spent thousands of dollars on a product only to realize that it could have been developed in a more feasible way or it’s too confusing for the facility in Asia.
Your designer might suggest having it produced in your house country. It may be an acceptable strategy for some products however typically it’ll make your product more pricey , less competitive in the marketplace and an simple target for a cheaper alternative which has found a way to skirt around your intellectual property. Can you actually sell at a “Made in the West” expense? Most likely you can’t. In the end, Apple, which charges a premium on its products, just manufactures and assembles its products in Asia.
Before you approve a Product Designer to get started with the development of your idea, ask her/him where and how they intend to produce the product. Be sure whoever you’re utilizing has a long track record of getting stuff produced in a globally competitive way and specifically in Asia. By “getting stuff produced” we don’t mean just sending over a 3d CAD file. No, it means being on the ground, making sure anything works and it’s produced as you intended and the customer, wanted it.
Georgette Adanas has been writing articles or reviews on product design agency since 1999.
Processing your request, Please wait....
