Solutions for every project type

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 While most come to us for help with entire projects, many come simply to find a viable solution to some challenge they face along their development path because their well has simply run dry and they need find an oasis to refresh, rejuvenate and get inspired.  Customers who came to us ready to throw in the towel, have been amazed when we show them the possibilities they could not find in thier barren desert of ideas.

We have the innovation and experience to the find solutions that you need, but which have eluded you until now.  We can provide you with countless examples showing unique innovation where customers were not only successful, but they gain benefits and options they had not believed were possible.  That desert won't seem nearly as dry when we are done.

Problem Solving Guarantee

Got a problem you can't solve?  Take a look at our Guarantee.  If you aren't satisfied, you pay nothing.

Our background is extremely diverse, so regardless of the type of challenge, we can help you to find the right solution.   

Product: We have developed both individually and as part of team to design over 100 products in our history and have dozens of patents to back that up.  Our Gallery page shows just a handful of the designs we have brought to market and every product we design will be optimized to make the most of your existing production capabilities. 

Process:  We have decades of manufacturing and design experience, so if your challenge is process related, you can be certain that our same guarantee applies.  The example below perfectly showcases that fact.

Example:  We were approached by a manufacturer with roughly 30 employees who had been in business for over 100 years.  They were on the verge of closing their doors for good.   They had a quote from a design firm to help them review their situation, provide a report and recommend changes to their facility.  The review alone was quoted at $20K and the solution was estimated to be over $100K.  Instead, they went with us, emphasizing the need to keep costs to a minimum.  Without taking short cuts, we visited their facility, did the review and provided a detailed list of changes to their processes as well as a list of equipment changes, modifications and substitutions.  Because a majority of  our solutions reused or repurposed existing equipment, the entire cost of  our review and all the changes came out to less than the $20k cost that the other firm had quoted just to conduct their review.  They were extremely grateful because there was no hope in sight before we came to help them.

No matter your budget or situation, we will tailor a solution to fit your needs.   Whether it is the entire project or just one phase of development that has you stumped, we will come in, solve your problem, and let you get back on track.  If you aren't sure what's best for you, let's talk and we can figure that out together, at no cost to you.  Our Problem Solving Guarantee is unlike anything out there and we stand behind it.  

Rather than adhere to one specific development process,  we have developed a hybrid process that we can tailor to work along side your process, milestones and timeline.  When we have our first meeting, we will be using the steps below as a general guideline until we determine what will work best for you.

Our strongest skill by far is in finding possibilities for your project that you had not even conceived of.  While the customer  always comes out of this phase with a solution that they can truly embrace, in nearly every case, they also gain a list of product options for the future, from which they can draw on for years to come.   If you got through this phase on your own and only have one idea moving forward, we can help remedy that.

Example: While designing a knife module capable of working within the body of an existing product that accounted for roughly 40% of the market, rather that just charge forward, which would have still worked, we instead decided to stop, step back and reconsider the initial concept.  In the end, we found that making minor changes to the design with a few additional holes, we were then able to make the module compatible with several existing products which now included roughly 80-90% of the market.

Idea Generation is not just about what you want.  It is about what is possible.  The example above took only two weeks to execute, but when we started up again the actual design itself had only changed by roughly 5%.    For the cost of two weeks work, the potential market share more than doubled.

Taking the list of ideas that are most promising, we will then help you develop those into solid product concepts, providing CAD models showing the potential for each idea and how they measure against each other, allowing  you to decide the best path forward.

Example: Developing concepts for two models of key carrying devices for Keyport, we developed ideas for each model, the first one being basic required us to invent and model roughly 5 unique ways of carrying keys with each having different ways of holding keys while keeping the unit cost low.  The second one required an upgraded design from their original that allowed for increased modularity, lower cost but could still be reverse compatible with all previous accessories.  The solution to the first was relatively simple, but with the second, it resulted in a truly unique assembly  method, reducing the main component list while adding a long list of modularity options for future development.

After evaluating each concept and selecting the path forward, we will further develop the design(s) to the point where we are able to validate those concepts that are new or unique.  While we do continue with the development of the product itself, the purpose of this phase is to place the focus on those aspects that can pause future risk.  Any aspect of the design that is "known" already can be ignored to a certain degree, thus keeping development time/costs lower.  Sometimes it is simply a list of features, but more often it is the innovations contained within the design itself have to be validated. 

Example: A bean hopper design designed by someone else for Starbucks was one such challenge.  In the end we reduced the part count from 21 components to 4 and concept validation of a scaled down model proved that it would work much better than the original, but it would also reduce manufacturing costs, reduce assembly time/complexity, reduce time for baristas to disassemble, clean and restock, and above all, eliminated the need for field repair by technicians.

Having decided on which concepts to incorporate into the final product, the focus now will be on balancing out the current "knowns" with the validated concepts to come up with a product solution that will not sacrifice the original content nor the intent and integrity of the new concepts.  This is one area where we shine because, unlike most designers, we do the mental math during the previous phase to ensure that as little negotiating as possible is necessary in order to complete the product's design.  At this point we will also begin to engage with a customer's preferred manufacturing partners (or ones that we can arrange) early on to ensure all design for manufacturing concerns are address before the design is finalized.

Example:  Having designed a number of knife and tool products in the past, while working on the complete AR15 Tool for Real Avid, we were able to doing the previous phase while working with the factory, gaining feedback and coalescing the well-known with the newly validated concepts into one cohesive product.  Allowing the natural development process to take its course, Real Avid was able to come away with a complete validated design concept heading into production with few challenges because we engaged early with the factory and were able to include them throughout the development process.

Where Concept Validation requires prototypes and testing of subsystems or features, this phase focuses on taking the fully designed product and validating it initially with prototypes of the complete product/product line.  Starting with high resolution 3D prints made in-house, we will work our way up to machined prototypes all while communicating with the factory to ensure all production requirements are met as well (i.e. will this part be machined or molded).  DV prototypes will often include both machined and 3D printed parts, but where possible and in some cases where necessary, we will commission pre-production tooling for a select few pieces.  In nearly every case, designing for material safe conditions, the tooling is able to easily continue into service during production.

Example: With broad experience in injection molding, we had designed a plastic knife kit for Spyderco Knives so when it came to Design Validation, we worked with the molder to create a finished kit design that was metal-safe at every Hardpoint resulting in a finished molded kit that was 99% perfect for production on the first try.   With less than 10 hours required for tool modifications, we validated the design and were in production a week after we received the first shots from the mold.

After the previous phase, you will begin to place orders for production.  Those orders will include First Article parts for inspection and are normally used to begin Test Builds to validate that the product builds as intended, but this is in batches of 5-10 units usually.  After completing these test builds it is time to move on to the Pilot Build.

The Pilot Build can be large or small, but in either case the goal is to validate the entire product and confirm that all the pieces (parts and processes) have been dialed in and are working as intended and that the final product is exactly as expected.  Results of the Pilot Build should prove that everything is in order, or at worst, a minor change to the process (not product) is needed allowing for a quick fix and a second pilot build.  While most design consultants will work with you at this point to hammer out any problems that pop up, we take a different approach.  By the time you reach this point in the process there should be zero surprises either in the product or the process.  If there are any problems at all, that means the design consultant did not do what they were paid to do.  Where they will continue to work with you and charge for their services, we too will work with you, but we will NOT charge a dime for any work needed to get the product back on track.  At that point you are spending too much money on a production launch to start having second thoughts about your choice of consultant.

Example: While we have never had this occur, we understand it does happen.   The closest we have come to this was a customer who chose to head to production without us and proceeded to make design changes after the Validation phase.  Given the changes it was unsurprising when they ran into numerous set backs before finally overcoming their difficulties close to a year later.

Once the Pilot Build is complete and the product and process are validated,  it is time to launch full  production.  At this point we will spend our time confirming through test and inspection that the product being produced remains consistent, repeatable and reliable.  This is especially important when sourcing components from multiple vendors.  It is during the First Article inspection of follow on orders of parts that we can confirm those that remain on track and those that need either correction or in a worst case scenario, replacing.   Our goal in this phase is the ensure that this process is as seamless as possible for our customer and that the process remains smooth and is well documented.  Overall support at this point will vary greatly depending on the needs of the customer.

While we have worked with countless customers who have significant resources and have asked us to carry through the entire project, we have also worked with quite a few with little or no resources.  We are more than happy to  start at any point in this process and step away when you have reached your budget limit, but when you do, we will help you to generate a plan so that you are able to move forward on your own.  When we were starting out, we had one such mentor and their help was instrumental in allowing us to succeed.  Just let us know what questions you have or check out our Start Up option page.