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Jared Haw joins to talk contract manufacturing
- ePower Corp US manufacturer with factory in China
- Product Development, Quality and Logistics
Product Contract Manufacturing
- For clients looking for contract manufacturing
- For example if you had developed a new stand for the iPhone and you’re at the beginning stage the steps to go through are:
- Most important part is to have a functional product so you can design the product around it
- Then we make a sample that shows functionality (not the looks)
- Design the product around the functional standards
- Then develop a ‘golden sample’ – which shows how the product should look
DFM – Design for Manufacture
- Design a product for manufacture and assembly
- More moving parts mean more can go wrong
- Having a sample does not mean it’s ready for manufacture – can lead to frustration and confusion
- Find a company that understand how to design for manufacturing
- Build this design thinking in up front
- A Chinese manufacturer might bend to your needs rather than design a product that is good for easy and mass production needs down the line
Investment
- Jared is putting his own skin in the game with clients
- Seeing a strong trend with clients needing to sell customised products
- Developing a product you have ownership of and you own the tool and patent
- Jared offers services to develop products for these customers
- Whether it’s self-investing, finding outside investors or a design engineer Jared can engage
- They have a team of engineers that know how to design for the production line
- Jared also provides Investment into pre-production stages of the development
To Qualify for Investment
- There are two types of client that could qualify:
- A company with strong sales and marketing background – buying and selling products from Chinese OEMs and want to move on
- A company with a very innovative product but maybe with not the best sales channels
Investment Looks Like
- Deals are mostly in cash for equity but reviewed on a case-by-case basis
- The offer covers more than just the cash but business support services as well
Categories that are eligible
- More outdoor gear, Pet Products, Toys, Kitchenware, Security
- Not realy engaging with chemicals, medical, food and beverages
- Electrical devices are okay too
Pitching for this investment
- They need some financial info to be assessed
- Are they credible sellers in their own right
- Need to be more flexible with innovative products
Finding Clients
- Quite diverse portfolio currently
- Kickstarters are a fair number of the existing clients
- Work with customers outside of Kickstarter too
