The professional has learned that success, like happiness, comes as a by-product of work. The professional concentrates on the work and allows rewards to come or not come, whatever they like. – Steven Pressfield
Depending on the situation, we have specific steps we follow with our clients
What is the process that we are evaluating a hardware idea?
We need the next items from the clients to start our investigation:
- Simplified idea (explain it like I’m five)
- What value does it provide?
- What is the main feature?
- How many products are you planning to sell each year?
After we receive a detailed response on these questions we will evaluate the idea from a business, technology and manufacturing point of view.
First, we are looking to evaluate the idea from a technological and also a manufacturing point of view. We are always adding business insight as well. For this, we need information regarding the idea just as defined in the above item.
Second, we are creating a System Design Document, which will house the following by order:
- Notes taken from the meetings with the clients, meaning ideas, different topic discussions and the clients wishes.
- Various proposed block diagrams of the whole system. This should be verified by the clients first.
- After the block diagram is verified, we move onto cherry picking the main components. For this, we are looking to match the budget and the manufacturing criterias as well.
- Summerizing the System Design Document with a closing thought, where we share our thoughts on the projects.
Third, we are creating a Budgeting Document, where depending on the product we define the pricing model that we can offer.
Fourth, the design and the budgeting is closed, meaning design and development can start. Depending on the complexity of the project, there are multiple revisions and testing phases needed to get to prototype level. For every step of the way, the client is in the loop, giving feedback.
The fourth step is repeated until we have a prototype ready to be showed to the customer and potentially to the customers.
The fifth step is to move onto the next item, which is converting the prototype into mass production.
Prototypes are as far away as they are close to being mass-produced. A product being mass-produced is all about the manufacturing process, rather than the product itself.
The manufacturing process can be as simple as just producing a PCB with components, but can be as complicated as adding multiple lines of assemble for cabling, housing, mounting, programming etc..
This step really depends on the features that the product has. Feel free to contact us with as much detail as possible.
We are happy to inform our customers that we are very well connected with various manufacturing and assembly line companies around the globe.
Cost optimization is done when the product is planned for mass production where every cent makes a big difference in the margins.
Cost optimizations start with changing the whole topology of the product if there is a chance that will reduce the costs or the component cost.
Cost optimizations can be done with finding replacement components or same components at a cheaper price to reduce the overall cost, but still keep the functionality.