Producing New Pet Products
An introduction to manufacturing new pet products.
This is where your product really comes to life! It can be exciting, daunting, frustrating and infuriating all in one day. But with a cool head and some expert guidance your product will be manufactured correctly and you’ll be one big step closer to profiting from your idea.
Depending on the type of product you may have to produce your goods in a foreign country to get a more competitive price. Duty rates, shipping costs cultural issues and communication all become challenges to overcome. You will need to choose a factory to manufacture your product.
One way to do this is to hire a sourcing agent who will act as a middleman between you and one of their trusted manufacturing partners. Such an agent would be responsible for quality control, international transfers and negotiating with the factory.
Another alternative is to source a UK manufacturer. This option carries the significant advantages of enabling you to negotiate directly with a factory and to conduct research into that factory’s reputation, but it is often expensive and there are many types of product that are simply not manufactured in the UK (for example, textile-based products, cheap plastic products and consumer electronics).
It is therefore often necessary and cost effective to source manufacturing abroad. Whichever option you choose, it is important to have samples produced before placing an order, to ask for and examine references, to research any factory under consideration and,
ideally, to visit that factory. You will need organisation and patience. Your product has never been so close to the market. But prepare yourself to have to a few hiccups along the way.
Our tips for your production journey:
• Get as much advice as you can
• Be prepared and well planned
• Dedicate time and don’t expect it to all go smoothly.
Sampling enables you to have one or a very small number of your product manufactured before placing a production order. This will allow you to check the quality of the product with your chosen manufacturer and to make any necessary changes to the production specification. If your product is textile-based, it is likely that you will be charged a relatively small amount for one sample. Elements that may be altered upon receipt of a sample may include stitching techniques and the quality and colours of materials.
If your product is made of metal or plastic, you may need to have mould tools created in order to produce samples. A factory may be able to produce a prototype without tooling but it is likely that one will already have been developed and it would not provide you with the opportunity to check the quality of your product. If you need to create mould tools to produce samples, we would recommend that you consider it a necessary expense and use a recommended factory or a UK company to do so.
Examining samples is crucial to ensuring the overall quality of your product. The final sample against which manufactured products are measured is known as a ‘gold sample’; it is important that every minor detail of your gold sample is checked before commencing production.
We’ve worked with a number of clients to bring innovative pet products to the market.
If you would like to carry on reading more about developing pet products click here.
If you’ve got a project for a pet product but don’t know how to go about developing it, contact us today and we can arrange a call to discuss it.
Let us help you bring your new product to market.
If you’re looking to develop a new product or re-design an existing range but lack the in-house capacity or expertise to make it a reality, get in touch with us today to discuss your requirements.
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