Contract Manufacturing Partnerships with Product Design & Industrial Design Firms

In the product development world, there are scores of design firms – large and small alike – that help entrepreneurs and larger companies develop the initial design of their product ideas.

These are known as product development, product design and industrial design firms.

For the vast majority of these companies, their work ends at the design stage of the process – and, in many cases, the client is left on their own to find a manufacturer to build their product.

Over the years, Product Resources has developed partnership relationships with product design and industrial design firms by providing contract manufacturing services to their clients.

With this relationship, design firms can do what they do best, but still be able to provide their clients with the necessary engineering and manufacturing services to get their products built and shipped.

In many ways, design firms can leverage our manufacturing services to provide a more complete package of services for their clients.

You decide when to hand off the project

One key question to ask about this partnership is at what point does the design firm want to “hand off” the project to Product Resources.

It depends entirely on what “deliverable” you currently offer.

Many design firms will take their work up to (and including) the so-called “alpha prototype” where clients can see their future product presented in the form of a 3D prototype.  Other design firms may prefer to deliver a more advanced “beta prototype.”

We can accept the hand-off at any point in the development process. It’s up to you.

What happens after you hand off your project?

Every project is different, but these are just some of the activities that could take place after you hand off your project …

• Alpha Prototype – sometimes called a proof-of-concept model, the alpha prototype is designed to test the fundamental technologies of the product.
• Beta Prototype – the next step in the process, a beta prototype gives you and your client a more accurate representation of the finished product while demonstrating the product’s functionality.
• Pilot Production– pilot units are produced on the production line to demonstrate that the production processes are adequate and in control.
• Product Testing – depending on the product, different levels of product testing are performed internally and, in some cases, using third party testing facilities.
• Regulatory Compliance – every project needs to move forward with one eye on the regulators. Our team has experience with regulatory agencies from all parts of the globe. We work in accordance with all major industry standards.
• Design for Manufacturability (DFM) – this is a critical stage where the product design is matched to the right processes to reduce costs by minimizing the required material and labor.
• Manufacturing – this is the all-encompassing stage that includes creating a supply chain, developing documentation for every step in the process and building out an assembly process.
• Post-Manufacturing Support & Service – once the product is built, it’s time to think about packaging, shipping, installation, calibration, service and support.

Your choice of working relationships

The client is yours.  We respect that and want to be clear about our role in this process.

You have some options in how we structure the relationship.

You can remain involved in the project, or you can hand it off to us and step away.

If you want to remain involved, will you be serving as the client’s point person, or do you just want to stay in the loop?

Another option is to have us serve as your sub-contractor (in which case, you become our client).

However you decide to structure this relationship, we are happy to adapt.

Can we schedule a call?

We’re sure you have questions about us, about the products we build and about our compatibility with your company.

And we’d like to get to know you too.

Let’s schedule a time to talk – by phone or by Zoom.

Click here to schedule an appointment with our CEO John Erickson.  Or call us at 000-000-0000.