PRODUCT ENGINEERING CONSULTING SERVICES
On the engineering side, we take an integrated look at commercialization and product development. We tap into our networks of seasoned engineers with deep experience in development and operating roles who come from global engineering and technology firms to find results-oriented consultants with business outlooks and the appropriate expertise.
The engineers in the network have developed new products and manufacturing processes generating revenues in the hundreds of $millions at major corporations as well as early stage companies. Their product development experience runs the spectrum from concept all the way through commercialization and scaling up of manufacturing / production, including all forms of the intellectual property aspects of the process. They are of topnotch caliber with many holding PhDs from major institutions such as Stanford and MIT.
We find that the critical points in making new physical products are 1) assessing the IP landscape & freedom to operate (including the engineering and legal perspectives), and 2) developing manufacturing strategies from pilot through mass production. Both of these issues should be tackled early on in the product development cycle to thwart costly mistakes that are hard to correct later, if they can be corrected at all.
The critical issues that we target to address upfront with an IP Freedom to Operate analysis include:
- understanding the IP landscape especially versus competitors at early stages of the product development
- targeting patents on the important and differentiating elements of the product and/or processes
- understanding workarounds, strengths, and weaknesses of patents at early stages of the product development
- supporting negotiations with IP holders such as universities
- supporting IP and licensing valuations
The critical issues that we target to address upfront with manufacturing strategies include:
- designing products with the manufacturing process and quality in mind
- avoiding high manufacturing costs that negatively impact profits
- finding and qualifying appropriate suppliers and contract manufacturers in the early stages with a path to low cost and high quality
- selecting materials with cost and reliability in mind
- identifying and implementing key test points in the production process as part of an overarching quality control strategy
- managing inventory and order fulfillment
- conducting make-buy decisions periodically to avoid premature ownership of manufacturing facilities and high upfront capital costs