Discussion
I have an idea of producing something for the leisure market.
It's going to be relatively bulky, and require several stages of construction.
At a (ballpark) size of a small car, it's almost certainly going to be fibreglass (grp).
Elements added after to create a final product.
I have no experience in manufacturing terms (seeking out companies to construct the main part shouldn't be too hard) but have mechanical aptitude and plenty of experience working with my own hands, as well as drawings.
Began life in engineering and have worked as an electrician in both commercial (some pretty impressive projects) and residential environments.
As a result, I am a good communicator/people person and don't sense any problems dealing with anyone at any level, nor trouble understanding schematics or production methods.
I really am asking for advice from anyone who can point me in the right direction in regard (unbiased) advice on how to begin the process. Perhaps a government body or trade body who offer informal advice on how to "step by step" it.
You're comments and advice would be welcome and appreciated.
Many thanks in advance
It's going to be relatively bulky, and require several stages of construction.
At a (ballpark) size of a small car, it's almost certainly going to be fibreglass (grp).
Elements added after to create a final product.
I have no experience in manufacturing terms (seeking out companies to construct the main part shouldn't be too hard) but have mechanical aptitude and plenty of experience working with my own hands, as well as drawings.
Began life in engineering and have worked as an electrician in both commercial (some pretty impressive projects) and residential environments.
As a result, I am a good communicator/people person and don't sense any problems dealing with anyone at any level, nor trouble understanding schematics or production methods.
I really am asking for advice from anyone who can point me in the right direction in regard (unbiased) advice on how to begin the process. Perhaps a government body or trade body who offer informal advice on how to "step by step" it.
You're comments and advice would be welcome and appreciated.
Many thanks in advance
You can apply for a fully expensed consultant via the regional growth fund or similar who would have the specific experience you need. (You interview several you don't get given one) We got £500 towards an iso9002 person to help with process. If you are creating jobs they will have some sort of support worst case scenario is 30/70 best is 100%
My advice would be don't expect buying components from suppliers for your manufacturing operation to be as easy as you think. It's not. It always amazes me how difficult it is to get the right suppliers that aren't too big, or aren't too small. We operate a SME manufacturing business (c£10m) and its a constant battle to keep the quality and service up from other size suppliers.
Manufacturing is not my main role but Engineering is.
I've designed a couple of products in metal & am in the process of some in plastic.
The former have successfully been taken to manufacture.
Aside from the fabrication, I've done all the work myself (3D modelling, liason with fabricators etc). There is "a lot" of work in the R&D stages & depending upon how complex the final product is, a plethora of detail to be resolved.
Understanding the manufacturing process was key to the getting the product right. I spent hours & hours on it, including quizzing them & their exact machines, tooling & operations to get as close as possible to the desired result. The first run of the first product was 95%.
The next product was 100% right, but again spent many hours of back & forth with the fabricators prior to production.
Being able to produce the 3D & subsequent 2D CAD models was key in my understanding of the manufacturing processes & how easy it is to make costly mistakes.
I'm acquiring new knowledge working on the plastic product design & in the same way for the metal products, tweaking design features to work with constraints of the manufacturing process.
I spent a while searching for manufacturers & for the metal fabricators, settled on a company very local to me. This made factory visits & meetings much easier.
The plastics company are not so local but were recommended by a friend in the industry.
Hope something in the above is of use & good luck with your venture.
I've designed a couple of products in metal & am in the process of some in plastic.
The former have successfully been taken to manufacture.
Aside from the fabrication, I've done all the work myself (3D modelling, liason with fabricators etc). There is "a lot" of work in the R&D stages & depending upon how complex the final product is, a plethora of detail to be resolved.
Understanding the manufacturing process was key to the getting the product right. I spent hours & hours on it, including quizzing them & their exact machines, tooling & operations to get as close as possible to the desired result. The first run of the first product was 95%.
The next product was 100% right, but again spent many hours of back & forth with the fabricators prior to production.
Being able to produce the 3D & subsequent 2D CAD models was key in my understanding of the manufacturing processes & how easy it is to make costly mistakes.
I'm acquiring new knowledge working on the plastic product design & in the same way for the metal products, tweaking design features to work with constraints of the manufacturing process.
I spent a while searching for manufacturers & for the metal fabricators, settled on a company very local to me. This made factory visits & meetings much easier.
The plastics company are not so local but were recommended by a friend in the industry.
Hope something in the above is of use & good luck with your venture.
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