Better Parts.
Better Processes.
Better Products.
At MAKO, we know how to manufacture a quality product. Our team understands manufacturers require a production-ready computer-aided design (CAD). We know they need engineers who can communicate every detail, material, component, and assembly instruction to help ensure the product functions exactly as planned. We also know different products require different product manufacturing services and tooling expertise to mold, construct, and shape each part perfectly. We believe product manufacturing is a surgical procedure. Understanding the nuances of machine operation, assembly, and parts production is what separates the best products from everything else on the market.
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What Are Manufacturing Services?
Manufacturing is the process of combining, shaping, forming, and assembling machinery, raw materials, and components in strict accordance with the specified data and computations in a CAD file to create individual parts or a whole product.
Starting in 1999, we’ve been able to grow a massive network of manufacturers and suppliers worldwide. That means lower supply costs, faster reactions to supply chain fluctuations, and a register of specialized manufacturers that can get professional-grade, proprietary, and custom-made parts at a fraction of the cost. And not just overseas production, you can get your product manufactured right here in the US and Canada too.
How Product Manufacturing Services Work: Our Process
The first step prior to manufacturing is to ensure the inventor has a well-built CAD that’s purposely designed for the product manufacturing process. MAKO provides mechanical engineer services and electrical product development to simulate the CAD in various environments to optimize virtual functionality and discover any initial improvement opportunities. We also provide prototype development services, which also include manufacturing and 3D printing, to measure and learn how to refine the product and the final CAD even further based on real user feedback. Of course, we’re here to help answer any questions you have about the end-to-end product manufacturing process, from “what is rotomolding?” to “what is the most cost-effective material for my product,” MAKO will help you every step of the way.
Once a final CAD is produced we’re ready to review and source materials while determining the right manufacturers for the invention. Not only does this include procuring raw materials, but also the tooling process to ensure each part is designed the right way for the final product.
1. MATERIALS SOURCING & ANALYSIS
MATERIALS / SUPPLY CHAIN
Everyone knows about the relationship between supply and demand. When it comes to purchasing regular goods, a product is either in stock, out of stock, or on backorder. And regardless of availability, the MSRP rarely fluctuates – if ever. However, when it comes to sourcing parts and raw materials, pricing can fluctuate every week, day, or even by the hour depending on demand and inventory because of the high volume that these suppliers deal with. These costs may be exacerbated even further when taking into account overseas shipping. In order to provide our clients with the lowest costs, we have exclusive contracts in place with a network of suppliers to secure high-quality materials and parts at fixed rates. This gives MAKO client’s the advantage to review and select from a wider range of parts and materials for their invention.
2. MANUFACTURING ANALYSIS
MANUFACTURING DETAILS / TIMELINES / ESTIMATED COSTS
Based on the final CAD and materials selected, we’ll develop a list of potential manufacturing partners we trust for tooling the individual parts and assembling the product. We then provide this list to the client with estimated costs, projected timelines, shipping information, contact information, unit count, tooling, and any other necessary details. The objective if here is to ensure transparency so the client has full knowledge of who is manufacturing each part, where each part is being manufactured, how long each part will take to be manufactured, how and when the parts or assembled product will ship, even if the client themselves cannot be at the product manufacturing plants.
3. PRODUCTION MANUFACTURING
TOOLING / PRODUCTION / SHIPPING
Once the manufacturing and material information has been confirmed and finalized, we begin the product manufacturing process. And to help minimize the risk for our clients, we also offer the option to create only a single production unit as a sample before continuing high-volume product and electronic manufacturing services. Clients may review the sample unit and provide their feedback to the MAKO and product manufacturing teams before continuing the production and shipping all the units to the inventor’s desired location.
How MAKO’s Manufacturing Services
Can Build Your Business
TOOLING IT RIGHT
How are custom or proprietary parts made? The answer is tooling. It is the process of acquiring or building the pieces of machinery needed to produce molds, jigs, cutters, gauges, and fixtures required for product and electronic manufacturing services. As you can imagine, the type of tooling process will affect the quality, feel, durability, and functionality of the part, as well as how quickly it can be made. Expensive and valuable raw materials can easily be ruined with poor tooling choices. Whether you need a sleek and solid exterior or a flexible silicone gasket shaped in a specific way, our experienced team at MAKO understands what tooling processes will produce optimized and high-quality parts that meet your product manufacturing budget and timelines.
THE KEY TO DISRUPTING THE MARKET
Whether the goal is to sell units to resellers, license the product, or raise funding from investors. Product manufacturing is the key to unlocking the doors to financial success. Because before any customer, retailer, wholesaler, distributor, or investor puts their trust in the inventor and the product, they have prudent responsibility to minimize their financial risk. They need to have proof that the product has real demand or has the potential traction, or at the very least is manufacturable.
DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURING (DFM)
Design for manufacturing consumer products is the process of designing and engineering parts, components, or the entire product itself to simplify the product manufacturing process. Starting from the very first sketch, every decision we recommend to the client is driven by DFM principles. Every individual nut or bolt serves a specific purpose which is to help maximize functionality, reliability and minimize costs incurred for the best possible user experience for the end-user.
Product Manufacturing Services Fit To Your Product
MAKO Design has spent over 20 years creating, testing, refining, and perfecting the product manufacturing process required to create global caliber products, specifically for startups, small manufacturers, home inventors, & eCommerce brands. Through our intense focus specifically on product design services for small businesses, we ensure perfect alignment with your product vision and help you succeed in every way. Our product design services are tailored to designing your product to a modern and top-tier caliber while also being able to execute quickly and efficiently, all at small business budgets. We created this product development niche back in 1999, and we’re still leading it today focusing on that same business model over 20 years later.
FOR HARDWARE STARTUPS
Whether you’re an early-stage startup or getting ready to scale, we’re here to transform your idea into a product design to help you disrupt the existing market, along with the many product market connections you’ll need along the way. MAKO is your one-stop-shop for it all, in addition to connecting our clients with some of the industry’s leading players in the hardware startup space.
FOR SMALL MANUFACTURERS
We are the original product design services firm tailored to small product businesses, so why not work with the best for your next big product? Whether designing something completely new, revitalizing your existing products, or improving something that already exists, MAKO provides world-class design at small business pricing and timelines.
FOR ALL HOME INVENTORS
No ask is too big, no detail is too small. We’re here to collaboratively design your product for success. As a new inventor, MAKO has the most comprehensive set of support services, industry connections, and guidance to help your product be a huge success. We guide you through the entire process, then set you up with direct connections to some of the best product sales brands on earth.
What’s Next after Manufacturing is Done?
Once product manufacturing is completed, the next common step is to sell, license, or scale – all of which are outlined below. As part of MAKO’s end-to-end product development services, we can help with that too. And as our clients get their products in more and more people’s hands, what happens is that they discover new target audiences and markets they can expand to. With their newfound success, they have the freedom to develop new and different iterations of their product. Some may decide to develop a deluxe model or version 2,0 of the product that includes fantastic upgraded features to nurture an ever-growing loyal customer base. That’s the power of product manufacturing. The feedback and real market research will help open doors that you never thought possible.
OPTION 1:
SELL YOUR PRODUCT
TO CUSTOMERS
With a fully manufactured product, you’re ready to start pitching your product to customers or resellers such as retailers or wholesalers. Those who are interested in selling directly to customers have more tools than ever to pre-sell through crowdfunding or easily set up an online store or even a custom website that will help you set yourself apart from your competitors. Others may take the B2B route and pitch their product to big-box retailers and get their product onto store shelves. Whatever your decision, MAKO has the connections to launch, market, and get your products in people’s hands.
OPTION 2:
LICENSE YOUR PRODUCT
TO A BRAND
Some inventors just want to get their product designed to a point where they can then license their invention idea to an existing product brand. Either way you go, completing world-class product design is a critical first step. If looking to license directly after using MAKO’s product design services, we would then set you up with a patent attorney so you can protect your IP before pitching your idea to licensors. Keep in mind that the further you develop your product, the higher the probability of licensing, so you may want to have MAKO engineer and/or prototype your design before you start pitching to get a licensing deal.
OPTION 3:
RAISE INVESTMENT
TO SCALE AND EXPAND
A good problem to have is when demand exceeds supply. Maybe you have the capacity to expand your business by hiring people, upgrading your website, or purchasing management software. The one thing these things have in common is that you need capital to grow your business. One route many inventors take is to raise money from investors to help them scale. And by having a fully manufactured product, you’ll be able to attract better investors and have to share less equity while raising more money than you could with just a virtual design. And if you really want to impress investors, prove that your product has traction in the market.
How Manufacturing Services Fits into MAKO’s Overall Product Process
1. PRODUCT DESIGN
This includes industrial design services. This is the first and most important step in the product development process. This is the foundation of all product development to come, so is critically important to have it done right.
2. ENGINEERING
Mechanical engineering and electrical engineering (for those products with electronics) are the detailed work on the CAD to ensure that all components of the product design work cohesively, reliably, and predictably.
3. PROTOTYPING
Before the product reaches the market, it’s important to test the form and functionality with a prototype. Prototypes are also a great way to generate traction for marketing, pre-sales, crowdfunding, and financing initiatives.
4. PATENTING
We have preferred connections and pricing with a network of patent attorneys to help our clients with all things related to IP (Intellectual Property) protection. Our clients get quality patenting referral services, affordably through our network of US and Canadian patent attorneys.
5. MANUFACTURING
You’re currently here and this is the last important step before you start selling. Once the prototyping and engineering are complete, tested, and refined, the product is ready to move to production. This may happen after preselling through crowdfunding, or before selling if you choose to sell direct to buyers once you have inventory in stock.
6. SELLING
MAKO Design has many connections to help our clients launch and sell products. There are three main options: Pre-selling through crowdfunding, bulk order sales directly to wholesalers, distributors, retailers, and/or direct to the end-customer.
Product Manufacturing Services: Frequently Asked Questions
Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions about MAKO’s product manufacturing services. Don’t see an answer to your question here? Feel free to contact us anytime with your inquiries, read our blog for hundreds of articles related to product manufacturing and other product design services, learn about the entire end-to-end process with MAKO’s free invention kit, or check out the industry’s largest podcast: The Product Startup Podcast.
Product manufacturing is the process of producing and assembling individual mechanical and electrical parts, components, and systems to create a well-functioning physical hardware product.
Clothing, textiles, and furniture.
Petroleum, chemicals, rubber, and plastics.
Computers, appliances, electronics, and transportation.
Metal and nonmetallic manufacturing.
Wood, paper, and leather.
The good news is that there isn’t a single best type of product to manufacture as hardware products, especially in the startup space, are one of the fastest-growing industries in the world. What’s unique about the hardware product space is that people’s needs are always changing and as a byproduct of that, there’s a regular influx of new and exciting emerging technologies available to inventors. That being said, the current trend is moving towards IoT, fitness, health, wellness, hygiene, personal safety, home analysis, physical cryptocurrency accessories, fintech, VR/AR videogame products, and products that combine digital and physical spaces.
MAKO can manufacture almost any physical hardware product. We’ve designed and developed everything from a custom-built cooler for Tesla vehicles to a tennis bag that collects balls and transforms into a ball hopper to an IoT pet device that allows users to communicate, interact and even feed treats to their dog or cat remotely through a phone app. At MAKO, we love a challenge – and we’d love to get in touch to help bring your product to life.
Let’s Chat
Use the form below to let us know how we can help.
We’ll get back to you within one business day.
1-888-806-6256
info@makodesign.com