Most people would prefer to pay more to a local company to prototype rather than take the risk associated with outsourcing to a company sitting thousands of miles away in a different country. This might sound logical given all the unforeseen issues that may arise particularly where China is concerned.

Admittedly, new product development and prototype procurement from China is much more complicated than simply reproducing an existing product. Aside from the obvious need for design and engineering procurement and support from China, there are many other considerations including intellectual property protection, feasibility studies, development of blueprints and technical drawings, mold development, mass production and packaging issues.

However, the costs associated with developing working prototypes in the West are astronomical while comparable work may be done in China at a fraction of the cost. Lower cost reduces risk especially for a company just starting out.

Furthermore, prototypes developed outside of China frequently do not consider the practicalities of actually producing in China. Molds and other design considerations which might be plausible in the West may be inappropriate for China's technological or production realities. Consequently, the entire prototype development process might have to be undertaken again in China if its low-cost production advantages are to ultimately be used in bringing products to market.

Streamline has a great deal of experience developing new products and we have helped literally dozens of clients bring new ideas to the marketplace. Streamline has its own in-house design and engineering teams to assist in new product procurement from China. 

Streamline's engineers are extremely qualified with many years of experience spanning many industries including:

		Metal Stamping		Electronics
		Injection molding		Telecommunications
		Equipment		Electrical appliances
		Accessories		Machinery
		Packaging		Furniture

It also has a dedicated team of outside consultants from governmental agencies, universities and private firms representing many different industries. Our skill and trustworthiness allows our clients to develop and produce new items at a fraction of the time and cost necessary to do so elsewhere.

Additionally, it is Streamline's practice to sign confidentiality agreements with its personnel and subcontractors through its Chinese offices. These are far more easily enforced than similar international agreements and provide clients with as much legal coverage and recourse as possible.

Normally, a new product development project has three phases including, but not limited to the following subcomponents:

  Phase One: Mockup

This is the preliminary stage and its duration depends primarily upon the clients' stage of readiness with such items as drawings, material, pricing, etc.

Steps are as follows:

	Evaluate concept details. Create conceptual drawing. Research similar products and producers. Research materials and material providers. Perform preliminary cost analysis.	Confirm materials and target pricing with client. Develop preliminary Bill of Materials. Develop first set of computer aided design (CAD) mechanical drawings.

  Phase Two: Model

The second phase of the process involves developing a model to test the functionality of the item in question.

Steps are as follows:

  Phase Three: Pre-production sample

Once the design is more or less finalized and functionality assured, a sample must be produced.

Steps are as follows:

	Identify appropriate vendor(s) Analyze equipment and other needs Sign agreements with vendors Analyses of the components required that will be purchased from other vendors Prototype cost analyses (tooling, materials, labor, assembly, components, and components shipment) Price negotiations (with the prototype vendor and components suppliers)	Establish production schedule Production management Develop tooling as required Build prototype Manage process Perform quality control Test Functionality Analyze results and create action list of recommendations Create final set of CAD's

Some prototype cases upon which Streamline has worked include the following:

• Promotional items: design of a variety of promotional items including plastics, electronics, gifts, etc.
• Health & Hygiene: sterilizing and purifying equipment/appliances 
• Mechanical designs: folding mechanism for many applications 
• Tabletop machinery 
• Appliances: commercial appliances for home use 
• Packaging: complex injection molded packaging design for retail electronics 
• Equipment: steel and aluminum fabrications for light equipment 
• Furniture: office, bedroom, and retail display construction including wood, metal and glass, etc.

Streamline typically charges a new product development fee for managing the new product or prototype procurement process from China. Fees depend upon the time and complexity of the item in question and are exclusive of any future production considerations.

 Please contact Streamline today for more information at market@stream-max.com