Choosing between in-house production or working with a contract manufacturing partner can be a difficult decision. This episode helps to dissect the pros and cons of each option, while also providing a third alternative. Benefits of in-house - Proximity between design and production - Opportunity to be scrappy - Theoretical potential to capture greater gross margin - Confidentiality is simpler - Greater flexibility - Quality and delivery is within your control - You care more Benefits of CM - Able to get to market faster - Predictable costs - Reduced capital investment - Higher net profit margin potential - Ability to leverage relevant, specialized knowledge - Ability to focus on core competency outside manufacturing - Greater reliability and performance (if you pick the right CM) Question - what do you do if you want to get the best of both worlds? About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Edison website: ⁠⁠https://edison-mfg.com/⁠⁠ Edison LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/⁠⁠ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

The conversation discusses the effective, efficient, and reliable introduction and launch of a new product in a new market, focusing on five key tips. These tips include starting small, leveraging manufacturing best practices, determining what is 'good enough' for the new market, using the right suppliers, and maintaining tight communication and collaboration between product development, business, and manufacturing functions. Takeaways: - Starting small and validating the market before investing heavily in capital is crucial for a successful product launch. - Leveraging manufacturing best practices and determining the quality and reliability standards for the new market are essential for delivering a high-quality product. - Selecting the right suppliers for the application and maintaining tight communication and collaboration between key stakeholders are critical for an effective product launch. - Collaboration between design, business, and manufacturing functions is imperative. Keywords product launch, new market, manufacturing best practices, market validation, supplier selection, communication and collaboration About Edison: Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise. Edison website: ⁠⁠https://edison-mfg.com/⁠⁠ Edison LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/⁠⁠ Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/

When launching a new product or version, it's important to balance speed, cost, and quality. Start with a strong and flexible foundation, understanding the unique requirements of your product. Turn the dials appropriately by finding the right balance between formal processes and speed. Be efficient with capital by starting with manual processes and introducing automation when necessary. Don't forget about in-process quality checks, but be intentional about when and where to implement them.

Takeaways:

• Start with a strong and flexible foundation for production
• Understand the unique requirements of your product
• Find the right balance between formal processes and speed
• Be efficient with capital by starting with manual processes
• Implement in-process quality checks strategically

Keywords

product launch, speed, cost, quality, strong foundation, unique requirements, formal processes, automation, in-process quality checks

About Edison:

Edison Manufacturing & Engineering is a niche contract manufacturer, focused on flexible and capital efficient assembly of complex mobility and mobility-adjacent products that are not well suited for highly automated production. Assembly, upfit, and retrofit for autonomous vehicles is one of Edison's core businesses, and is an area in which Edison has significant experience and expertise.

Edison website: ⁠https://edison-mfg.com/⁠

Edison LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/company/70992427/⁠

Brandon Bartneck LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbartneck/