What is the Process of Industrial Product Manufacturing?

Industrial product manufacturing services are a boon for smaller companies and startups which specialize in innovative technologies and product designs but need the support of a manufacturing partner for the supply of products designed by them.

For bigger customers with sales spread across different geographies, products with geography specific customizations may be required. For example, selling an American or European product may require India market specific changes. This can help in local delivery logistics and saving on costs also.

This is where a company providing outsourced product engineering services and/or manufacturing services can be a great value partner.

Such a service provider can take up all the logistics management worries and allow the customer to focus on technology and marketing the products.

The Process Involved in Industrial Product Manufacturing

The manufacturing process involves everything from product engineering and procurement to fabrication, testing and eventual production release.  Given below is a more detailed account of the manufacturing process:

1. Design Transfer

• Design review: Review design for manufacturing and identify areas of cost optimization
• Identify any geography specific design changes required

1. Product Engineering

• DFM Analysis – Design manufacturability checks
• Software, User Interface and packaging customizations
• Implement changes in design files and get it approved with customer design team Unit testing of firmware and software on evaluation boards

1. Procurement

• Identify and negotiate volume pricing with vendors
• Order material for pilot production
• Verification of specs for localized parts

1. Prototype & Fabrication

• PCB Fabrication
• Mechanical Fabrication
• Board assembly
• hardware and firmware Verification testing
• System Assembly
• Alpha release to customer for functional testing

1. Prototype Testing

• System Validation testing
• Implement changes based on customer feedback and testing
• Beta release to customer for field validation
• Certification testing and assistance to customer for certification

1. Production Release

• Release drawings for volume production
• Procurement for volume production
• Setup for automatic or semi-automatic testing of product
• Pilot production and release to end users
• Volume production and testing
• Packaging and delivery as per schedule

Many companies apart from manufacturing services also product engineering support services to ensure that products are delivered to their destination and any modification or upgrade of the product in future can be done hassle free.

Product manufacturing services is an essential part of the services offered by an original design manufacturer (ODM) and enables companies with limited infrastructure to gain a foothold in the market.