Product Design – The Design-To-Cost Aspect

Product Design – The Design-To-Cost Aspect

When it comes to product development, most inventors fail to recognize or overlook the importance of product design. While every phase of the new product development is important, the product design phase is something that requires a little bit more consideration. After all, the outcome of the conceived product predominantly depends upon its product design. Product design also affects the manufacturing costs, and eventually the final price, of the product. For that reason, new product design is one very important stage that every inventor should heed to without fail.

New product design has many aspects, but in this blog, we will shed some light on Design-To-Cost aspect. Design-to-cost or DTC is a methodical approach to designing a product in such a way that the cost of product development and manufacturing is minimum. DTC has many components, but we will list only the main ones and explain how to deal with them during the new product design phase.

Materials

Overuse of material has three severe penalties – increase in material cost, increase in production cost, and increase in ecological footprint. Using the wrong type of material also has the same penalties. For that reason, one has to be very cautious with choosing and using the material. One also needs to be cautious with over-engineering – designing a product to be more complicated than necessary. Over-engineering leads to the overuse of material. Smart product design, computer analysis, and performance tests help choose the right type of material and eliminate the overuse of material, minimizing the overall cost of manufacturing.

Manufacturability

Designing a product by adhering to the principle of “Design for Manufacturability” can drastically reduce the cost of the final product. Design for Manufacturability or DFM in simple terms is designing a product in such a way that it is easy to mass-manufacture. In order to design a product that is easy to manufacture, inventors should involve the manufacturer in the product design phase itself. A product manufacturer’s advice during the product design stage can save drastic design changes as well as money later on.

Labor

For certain products, usually the ones requiring manual assembly, testing, packaging, etc., the cost of labor can be a major overhead. Inventors should not overlook this labor cost. The number of laborers, as well as the labor-time, should be clearly defined and calculated during the product design phase, and the product design should focus to minimize both the number of laborers and labor time required.

Maintenance

Certain products demand regular maintenance, and it costs a lot. A product design company can reduce such a maintenance cost in two ways:

  1. Create a robust product design – the one that demands less maintenance.
  2. Create a maintenance-friendly product design – the one that is easier and faster to maintain.

Quantities

Production quantities have a drastic impact on both the production efficiency and cost. Designing a new product without considering the required quantities might adversely affect the production efficiency, and it also increases the costs. Estimating the product quantities beforehand during the initial research and product design stages can factor towards the reduced final cost of the new product.

Accessories

Most new products have some accessories, like packaging, components, spare parts, user manuals, and so on. All these accessories add costs to the final product’s cost. Inventors should not overlook these accessories and their costs. Some of these accessories directly complement the final product; hence, accessories should be the part of the main product design.

Logistics

If the new product is targeted for the global market, the product’s logistics costs can be significant. The new product’s size, dimension, weight, fragility, storage, and so on could increase the logistics costs. This logistics aspect needs to be considered during the product design phase so that a definitive design and the proper arrangements can be made beforehand.

New product development is challenging, and one of its stages, the new product design, requires considerable consideration. Numerous aspects are involved in new product design, and it is radically tough for inventors to tackle them all on their own. Fortunately for inventors, there are some new product design companies, like GID Development Corporation, that can help address all the product design challenges and assist in launching a new product into the market.

GID Development Corporation is one of the experienced and leading product design companies in California, USA. Utilizing advanced technologies, like Dassault Systèmes’ 3D EXPERIENCE Platform, which includes SIMULIA, SOLIDWORKS, CATIA V6, and other product design and engineering apps, and their in-depth knowledge accumulated over the years, the veterans at GID Development Corporation help inventors with definitive product designs for their conceived products.

Along with new product design, GID Development Corporation also provides a complete product development service, which includes product prototype development, product prototype testing, production tooling development, production setup, manufacturing setup, and everything in between and beyond. Whether it is product design and development of products with imbedded software, products with electronics, medical device products, electromechanical products, generic products, or special-purpose products, GID Development Corporation will definitely “GET IT DONE!”

To learn more about the leading product design company in California, GID Development Corporation, just visit https://www.gidcompany.com/.

GID Development Corporation is currently also offering a free telephonic conference to help answer various product design and development-related questions. Any inventor who is interested can just call Jim Grimes, one of the veterans at GID, at 714-323-1052 between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.

Product Design – 3 Reasons Why Second Opinion Design Review is Good Before New Product Development

Design Review

New product development being a complex and critical process, it’s always a good idea to get a second opinion product design review before you opt for product development. Whether you are looking forward to develop products with electronics, electro-mechanical products, products with imbedded software, medical device products or anything else, a second review certainly helps you save your time and money.

The GID Development Corporation shares with you some of the reasons a second opinion is a smart move when it comes to custom / new product development.

Big Brands Always Get Second Opinions on Product Development:

It’s a universal fact that a new line product hitting the shelf is reviewed by dozens of engineers and clears multiple quality checks. To avoid any manufacturing complications, big brands across the globe ensure that all engineers designing new products get lots of second opinions from other designers.

In the product design and development industry, second opinions are termed as design reviews. To ensure a fruitful second review, design engineers are required to present their new product design to other designers. This step certainly helps the designer to identify minor design issues that could lead to a major error.

Another reason why large companies emphasize on the second opinion design reviews is because electronic products, products with imbedded software and other modern day products are complex in nature, and regardless to the engineer, mistakes are almost made when designing anything complex. Therefore, it is in our favor to take every possible step to minimize the risk of design mistakes.

Second Opinions Will Reduce Your Prototyping Costs

Product prototype development is yet another expensive step involved in the process of new product development; therefore, being a responsible entrepreneur / inventor, we need to make sure that the design is accurate before prototyping.

Most product manufacturing companies prefer at least three revisions to get products ready for market; however, the number and severity of the changes required will be considerably decreased with design reviews. A second opinion design review before prototype development is one of the best ways to reduce manufacturing cost and time.

Your Wireless Design is Likely to Be Junk Without a Second Opinion

Manufacturing wireless products like WiFi, Bluetooth, or GPS is a job of high precision, and unfortunately, 75-85% of engineers get it wrong when it comes to designing wireless parts. Some mistakes are so major that the prototype may not work at all or may function in a very limited fashion.

Designing multifaceted products with imbedded software, electro-mechanical, electronic parts or something similar is quite different than ordinary products. Therefore, if you are planning a product with multiple functionalities, then you should get a second opinion.

To Conclude

The advantages of second opinion design reviews carry over into all the aspects of designing and manufacturing a new product. The opinion of multiple design veterans is always a smart move.

When it comes to new product development, hiring a product development company with years of experience and teams of engineers having specialization in different engineering fields is a wise move.

If you just had that your eureka moment, then the GID Development Corporation can certainly help you bring your ideas to life. Being one of the leading product manufacturing companies in the United States, GID offers A-Z services, from industrial design services to taking the new product to the consumers and everything in between. They have an in-house team of engineers, product designers, prototype developers, and other professionals that can help bring any idea to reality.

Along with the above mentioned reasons to partner the GID Development Corporation for your next product development venture, the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) policy of the company is quite impressive. The company and its people are highly committed towards the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and protect their client’s intellectual property rights for their new product idea prior to their disclosure of any pertinent information. At the GID Development Corporation, a Non-Disclosure Agreement is placed at the apex of their product design and development process.

A Non-Disclosure Agreement covers customer-centric points such as;

  1. A complete contact information of both parties involved.
  2. Definition of Confidential Information
  3. Ownership of Confidential Information
  4. Phased Release of Discloser’s Confidential Information
  5. Term of the Agreement
  6. Termination Terms and Conditions
  7. Injunction relative to Recipient’s failure to perform
  8. Changes must be in writing and agreed to by both parties
  9. NDA does not constitute a partnership or joint venture
  10. NDA will be governed by the laws of a given State of the United States of America
  11. Brief Description of the idea and/or product
  12. Dated Signatures of both Parties

Armed with a properly crafted and executed NDA, the inventor can now freely divulge their idea and discuss it in detail while revealing their expectations for its success. Being a competent and professional design & engineering Firm, GID Company always proceed in this manner by insuring the client is protected at the start of Design & Development Process for a new or improved product idea.

To know more about NDA or to discuss your product idea, Dial 714-323-1052 and ask for Jim Grimes or visit their website https://www.gidcompany.com/.

Engineers who can Help Bring your Product Concept to Reality

Engineers who can Help Bring your Product Concept to Reality

Product development, especially for a budding inventor, can certainly be a daunting task. It is very important that you, as an inventor, get in touch with the right engineers in order to breathe life to your product. However, oftentimes, it can be very confusing what kind of engineers you require in order to develop your revolutionary product.

Normally, it will be in your best interest to approach a good product development company that has multiple engineers with different skill sets on board. The reason for this is that your breakthrough product could be anything – an electromechanical product, a product with electronics, medical device product, or a product with imbedded software. Now, developing such products will require different engineers and not just one kind of engineers.

Here are some of the common engineers whom you should be able to find in a good product development company that you may decide to hire.

Industrial Engineer

If your potential product needs a custom plastic case, then industrial engineers are the ones who will help. Most inventors delay taking the assistance of an industrial engineer because they somehow work out with a stock, off-the-shelf case for their products. Unfortunately, such products, in most cases, fail to make an impact because they lack aesthetics and ergonomics. Off-the-shelf cases neither provide aesthetics, nor ergonomics. They are just plain old cases.

Industrial engineers can help with the ideal product design. Whether your product is too complex mechanically or too elaborate electronically, they can help create a suitable case for your product, which has excellent aesthetics and ergonomics.

If your product is too simple, mechanically or electronically, then you can get the case designed by a 3D modeler. Using a computer-aided industrial design software application, like Dassault Systèmes’ CATIA, a 3D modeler can help create detailed designs of a case, for your product. You can then take these detailed designs to a good plastic product manufacturer who can help bulk manufacture the product cases.

Electrical Engineer

If you are developing a product with electronics, electromechanical product, or a product with imbedded software, you will need the assistance of good electrical engineers. Electrical engineering is a broad field; hence, it will be a good idea to go to a product development company that has several electrical engineers with different skill sets. An electrical engineer, who can work on a high-voltage system cannot work on portable devices! Similarly, an electrical engineer, who can design schematics and PCB layouts for products with imbedded software will have difficulty programming a microcontroller for those products; it actually requires a software engineer with specialization in electronics to program a microcontroller for products with imbedded software.

Some electrical engineers specialize in analog design while others specialize in digital design. You might be able to find engineers specializing in multiple disciplines, but such professionals are very rare! Therefore, get in touch with a good product development company that has on board a handful of electrical engineers with specialization in different electrical engineering disciplines.

Mechanical Engineer

If your product has moving parts, mechanical engineers can help you design and develop that product. Similar to electrical engineering, mechanical engineering is a broad field. In fact, it is the broadest field of engineering. Mechanical engineering involves the application of mechanics, material science, kinematics, structural analysis, and thermodynamics to name a few. No single mechanical engineer has the skills to apply all these core concepts. For that reason, hire a product development company that has several mechanical engineers on board.

Aside from these, there are biomedical engineers who help with the design and development of medical device products, biomechanics engineers who help with the design and development of sports products, manufacturing engineers who help with the design and development of machines, tools and equipment, power engineers who help with the design and development of high-voltage power systems, and many more.

With it comes to new product development, it is always a good idea to go to an eminent product development company that has on board a good team of engineers having specialization in different engineering fields.

If you are in search of such a product development company, then look no further than GID Development Corporation. A leading product development company in California, USA, GID Development Corporation provides A – Z services, from new product design to taking the new product to the consumers and everything in between. They have an experienced in-house team of engineers, product designers, and other professionals that can help bring any product concept to reality.

Learn more about GID Development Corporation by heading over to their website https://www.gidcompany.com/.

Currently, the leading product development company in the US, GID Development Corporation is offering a free 15-minute telephonic consultation with one of the veteran industrial engineers, Jim Grimes. You can call Jim at 714-323-1052 between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.

8 Steps to Take your New Product Idea from Concept to Consumers

8 Steps to Take your New Product Idea from Concept to Consumers

steps involved to bring a simple product idea to life and take it to the market, i.e. to the intended consumers. If you are an innovator with a solid new product idea, wanting to materialize your brilliant product concept, then here are 8 steps that you need to heed and follow.

Step 1: New Product Concept

This step usually consists of rough sketches of your new product idea. If you have not put your product idea or thought, on the papers yet, then you should immediately do so. Doodle rough sketches of your concept. Along with sketches, it will be very helpful to furnish some information about your product. Write down what your product is, what features it will have, how the consumers will use it and so on. If you have knowledge of computer, then prepare the rough sketches and note down the info about your product in a good computer application.

Step 2: Extensive Research

After drawing rough sketches and writing down info about your intended product, you might now have a good overall idea about the new product. Now perform a market research: is there any demand for your new product? Whether any similar product or products exist in the market? If similar products exist, how is your new product going to be better? What region will be profitable? You need to answer such questions in order to create and launch a successful new product.

Step 3: New Product Design Development

After gathering valuable info from an extensive market research, you can proceed to develop feasible product designs for your new product. New product design can be complicated; you need to answer several questions in order to create a viable product design for your new product:

  • What are the functions of my products?
  • Will it withstand rough use?
  • Will it be re-usable?
  • Can the product be developed at a reasonable price?
  • For mass manufacturing, will the manufacturing process be easy? Does the product contain multiple parts?
  • What will be the quality of the product?
  • From which materials can the new product be made?

All these questions and more need to be answered while creating new product designs for your product.

Step 4: New Product Prototype Development

When you get a viable product design, you can then proceed to create prototypes based on the design. A prototype is the first tangible form of your new product idea. You can see it, touch it and actually feel it. A product prototype can be as simple or as complex as you want. With a product prototype, you can actually get a complete picture of your new product. It also helps attract potential stakeholders, and eventually, the capital that is needed for mass manufacturing. Product prototype development in the past was expensive; however, with the advent of new technologies, for instance, Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform, New product prototype development is now cost-effective.

Step 5: Testing & Feedback

This is a very important step. Once you have a solid product prototype, you can perform various tests on it. Test it to see whether it works the way it is intended to work. You can also test its sturdiness. After testing the prototype, give it to a group of potential consumers and see how the consumers react. The group of potential consumers will also give valuable feedback, which you can implement before developing and launching the final product. If certain tests fail, or if there are certain features that need to be added, you can go back to Step 3 and Step 4. Thereafter, you again need to perform Step 5. You need to keep on doing this until you achieve a well-accepted product prototype.

Step 6: Mass Manufacturing

Once you have a well-accepted product prototype, which has passed tests and has all the features that the potential consumers had suggested, you can proceed to mass manufacturing. For mass manufacturing, you can go to an already established manufacturer, or you can set up your own production facility; it all depends on the capital you have.

Step 7: Quality Test, Packaging, and Branding

The final product needs to pass through various quality tests. The final product should be flawless in terms of quality, design, and functionality. While the final product is going through quality tests, you need to come up with suitable packaging for the product. You cannot simply give a bare product to the consumers. You need to have a proper package for your product. Along with the packaging, you also need to develop a brand name of your product. You need to come up with unique, enticing logos for your product. Further, you also need to develop certain promotional items for your new product. Advertising and publicity are also necessary in order to let the consumers know about your new product.

Step 8: Launch

Finally, it is time to launch the product in the market. By now, you will already have enough stock of your product. Arrange for the proper channels for your product distribution. You will also need to arrange or set up proper outlets where you can sell your product.

Well, that is it. These are the steps that you need to heed and follow to bring a new product of your own into the market. Mind well, these steps may look simple, but they are not. It requires considerable time, effort and resource. While you can do these all on your own, there are certain product design and product development companies that can help you out. For instance, GID Company can help you materialize your idea, and also help take your new product to the potential consumers.

GID Company is a product design and product development company based in California, USA. They have numerous years of experience in new product design and product development. Whether it is new electromechanical products, medical device products, products with electronics, products with imbedded software, or any other types of products, GID Company can design, develop, and deliver it to the market.

GID Company is also offering a free 15-minute telephone conference with one of the product design and development veterans, Jim Grimes. You can call Jim at 714-323-1052 between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST.

Steps in Successful Product Design

Successful Product Design

New product design may seem like an easy process. The fact, however, is that it is not. A new product design involves several steps and processes that need due consideration. Failing to heed these steps and processes definitely will lead to unsuccessful product design. Here are some of the steps that entail in successful product design.

Step 1 – Evaluating the Problem

This is the primary step where you need to identify the real problem in the market. By identifying the real problem, you can come up with innovative ideas, and thereafter, solutions to resolve the identified problem. Your idea could stem from the lack of an adequate product in the market, or a product in the market that does not function as well as it should.

Step 2 – Extensive Research

This step involves thorough researching to see what similar products are currently

in the market. This is important as it ensures that the new product you are thinking about introducing in the market does not already exist. On the other hand, it will also help you identify various problems with the existing products. Understanding the problems with the current products will help you design your new product better.

Step 3 – Generating Ideas

After performing in-depth research, the next step is where you can begin forming ideas and concepts to come up with a viable solution. This is where you can start sketching your ideas and jotting down a list of features for your product on a piece of paper. It will be in your best interest if you can use a computer to draw your sketches and note your list of features. Computers are more reliable than papers or sketchbooks!

Step 4 – Creating Prototypes

Once you have the perfect or near perfect product design, you can proceed to product prototype development. This is the step where you can actually begin to see your idea materialize. A product prototype is a working / non-working model of your product concept. A prototype is beneficial in numerous ways; it gives you the picture of how your product will look like; it allows you to test and analyze so that you can make any changes if required; it helps attract potential stakeholders, and eventually finance for taking your product to the final stages.

Step 5 – Final Design

After the success of the prototype, you can proceed to finalize the product design. This final product design should incorporate all the intended functions as well as aesthetic aspects of the product. This final design should also comply to various standard compliances if there are any. Think of this final design as a product that is in a real consumer’s hand.

Step 6 – Thorough Testing

This is a vital step. Before proceeding to mass manufacturing and launching the product in the market, it is of cardinal importance that the product goes through rigorous testing. Product testing should not only be performed by experts, but by potential customers, as well. In case something goes wrong during this stage, like dislikes of product aesthetics or certain functions, you can go back a couple of steps and improve your product further. It will, of course, cost you to go back a couple of steps, but it will not cost as much substantially as it would if you skip this step.

Step 7 – Mass Manufacturing

If everything goes well during the testing stage, you are ready for mass manufacturing. Simultaneously during the mass manufacturing, you should also perform marketing and establishing distribution channels so you can take your product to the market to make Successful Product Design.

If you want to learn more about new product design, visit veterans at GID Development Corporation https://www.gidcompany.com/. GID Development Corporation is a leading product design company in California, USA. With a combined experience of over 40 years, the professionals at GID Development Corporation provide A – Z product fulfillment services.

You can also Call Jim at 714-323-1052 between 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM PST for a free consultation.

Industrial Product Design and Development Services, USA

Industrial-Product-Design-and-Development-Services-USA

So, you just had your eureka moment? Do you believe your concept can really stir the market in your favor? Are you really planning to design and develop the new product? Are you in search of an American product design and development company? If your answer to all these questions is “Yes”, then congratulations, you have landed on the right place.

We are the GID Development Corporation, an American Product Design and Development Company, helping small, mid-sized and large companies create new products that can escalate their profit margin as well as enhance their brand presence, globally. We know that the process of new product development starts as an idea or an improvement in the concept of an existing product (in terms of features and appearance). However, manufacturing a new product is a complicated job and not everyone’s cup of tea. To come up with the new product that can stir the market in your favor, you need a comprehensive analysis report of your targeted market and a potent product development strategy.

Flawless Product Design Service

Based in California, the GID Development Corporation is an established product design and manufacturing company with more than four decades of industry experience. During our journey, we have worked with businesses belonging to different industries such as healthcare, automotive, lifestyle, plastic products, and sporting goods to name a few. A sound team of qualified and experienced product designers and engineers make us stand above the ordinary service providers in the market. We have a team of highly qualified, experienced, and creative product designers who strive for nothing but the best.

Our product designers continuously explore the product development industry to offer solutions that are far superior to ordinary solutions available in the market. Our team of product designers can carry out a wide variety of functions, based on the existing industry trend, competition and research.

Product Development Services

At the GID Development Corporation, we have a strong team of product engineers and project managers that include electronic and software engineers, mechanical engineers, researchers, prototyping experts, and industry specialists, who lead our product development projects from the front. Our thorough, statistics-based development services are designed to deliver products that are customers centric, without exceeding the timeframe and defined budget.

Call Jim Grimes @ 714-323-1052 for a Free Telephonic Conference

When designing and manufacturing a new product, it is necessary that we stay focused and proactive so that our efforts result in a rewarding new product. A proactive approach from the very beginning can save time and money.

If you had that eureka moment, and if you wish to bring your concept to life, then we welcome you to share your ideas with us. For product design and development services Call Jim at 714-323-1052