Getting Your Product to Production
by Carrie Hinkel on November 7th, 2007
Getting your product into production certainly seems like an intimidating process, but if you take the time to plan everything out and do enough research, the process can actually be smooth and headache-free (or at least close to it).
Getting Started
1. Get a Product Mock-Up – You’ll need a prototype or at least some very detailed 3D or CAD drawings to correctly demonstrate or show your product and what it does. This is absolutely essential; describing your product idea over the phone or in a letter or email will definitely not suffice. Be sure to have your product design worked out 100%, before even thinking about calling a manufacturer.
2. Create a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) – To get your product idea into production, you will have to talk with several people and companies about your product. This agreement prevents them from sharing your confidential information with any third party. There are plenty of these templates available on the Internet, but to be sure your agreement is wiggle-proof, you should have it drawn up by an attorney that specializes in new products.
3. Have a manufacturing engineer look at your prototype or drawings – Ideally, you should show your prototype or drawings to a manufacturing engineer and have him or her look at and fine-tune your product design. An engineer will be much more familiar with the latest materials and devices that could make your product design even better.
4. Create a list of questions that you will ask potential manufacturers – This is absolutely crucial. You want to ask questions first, not be sorry later. Here are some examples of the types of questions you should ask: Do you have an engineer on staff? Do you specialize in certain materials? Do you work with small companies? What are your tooling capabilities? Talk to other inventors and product manufacturers. Go to online invention and product forums and ask around. If you do thorough research ahead of time, you’ll have less regret later. Be sure all your questions are specific, easy-to-understand and relevant. Ideally, you will have around 5-10 questions to ask the manufacturers you talk to. Also, you’ll want to ask for U.S. references and talk to each and every one to find out if their experience with that manufacturer was successful.
Okay, now you are ready to begin your search for a manufacturer.
Here are some great ways to begin your search for the right manufacturer for you.
Online inventor or manufacturer forums – Ask around, chances are you’ll find several great companies to talk to from people who have worked with them in the past.
Online search – Do a lengthy Google search for “product manufacturer” or your specific product category (for instance, “plastic bowl”) and “manufacturer”.
Go to trade shows for your industry – Chances are there will be some manufacturers with booths set up for you to talk to, as well as plenty of friendly inventors who would love to help you out with some manufacturing information.
The important thing to remember is to always protect yourself. That means having an NDA and making sure to have everyone you talk to sign it. It also means checking references and using a Letter of Credit if paying for goods from an overseas manufacturer. Also, with the recent rash of toy recalls, you’ll want to ask about the materials they use and then research those materials with regards to dangerous content (such as lead). A recall on your product after it’s been manufactured and put to market could spell almost certain death for your company.