Turning a vision or idea into a scalable, commercial product is a challenge that faces many entrepreneurs, innovators and SMEs.

Developing a new product, new functionality or new customer experience can be difficult, and the design to manufacture process must be given careful consideration to ensure that development costs and timelines are managed effectively.

This seminar has been prepared and presented by one of i4pd's Director, Tristan Elliott, where he offers tips on:

• how to avoid common pitfalls when outsourcing design
• the value of creative pragmatism
• avoiding a funding shortfall.

In his role at i4pd he focuses on effective collaboration for a great customer experience where he liaises with customers and the i4pd development team, challenging thinking and decision-making, to ensure the journey runs smoothly from initial concept to a production-ready design for its introduction to manufacture.

Since 2003 i4 Product Design has been a development partner for start-ups and well-known brands helping to bring over 200 products to market during this time. The firm is Employee-Owned and was awarded the 2018 ‘Engineering Company of the Year’ Made in Scotland award.

Schedule a call today with Tristan to see how the i4pd can help realise your vision.

In addition to the seminar, we asked Tristan to share some extra advice for start-ups on development:

What are the main challenges you face when working with innovators?

"Challenging" expectations of taking a product to market: ‘… and I would like to have this product in the market within 3 months’. The commoditising of rapid prototyping has been terrific for the acceleration of the design, prototype and test cycle. However, this speed is at odds with the realities of commercial production timelines where tooling/set-up is required. We aim to work with our clients at the start of the project to determine the likely manufacturing processes involved, reflecting this in their NRE budget and timelines accordingly.

What would be your top bit of advice for innovators on the journey from design to manufacture?

Factor in twice as much prototyping and verification testing than you may have already estimated. Shortcutting during this phase of development is a false economy, as any issue that finds its way to production will be more costly overall to fix at this late stage.

What do i4 Product Design offer innovators?

We are a blend of creative designers and experienced engineers offering independent advice to clients. As a development partner, our clients can be confident that all IP generated during a project is their own and the design-work can be manufactured anywhere in the world, ensuring the safety of their supply chain and cost competitiveness of their product.