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Build guide~6 min read

Production readiness

A production readiness audit checks whether a factory can build your design at your target cost. Do it before you pay for prototypes or tooling.

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Check the design before paying to build it.

The audit

An engineer reviews manufacturability, supplier feasibility, cost drivers and the certification path.

Fixed price, quoted after a 30-minute call.

01

Manufacturability report

Your design reviewed against its intended production process.
02

Cost drivers

Features, materials and tolerances that change the cost.
03

Design changes

Specific actions needed before prototyping or tooling.
04

Clear verdict

What is ready, what is not, and what changes next.
05

Engineer readout

A call to review findings and answer questions.

Uncomfortable truths

01

An unbuildable wearable

One housing detail forced industrial printing at over 2,000 dollars per shell. Reworking it reduced sample costs to double digits. Tooling became possible.
02

A sensor concept

An inspection drone needed sensing hardware evaluated before committing to production.
03

A medical device

A handheld Doppler needed housings, seals and internals suited to certified production.

Details altered to protect client confidentiality.

Eleven engineering stages

Engineering stages sit within the six-step customer journey, not alongside it.
01

Product definition

Requirements, users, target cost, constraints and certification needs.
02

Industrial design

Form, ergonomics, materials, colours and finishes shape future manufacturing costs.
03

Engineering design

Mechanics, electronics, thermal paths, fasteners and assembly become factory-ready drawings.
04

Production readiness audit

Processes, tolerances, cost drivers and certification are reviewed before spending.
05

Appearance model

A non-functional model for pitching, photography and packaging tests.
06

Works-like prototype

Prove the core technology before refining appearance.
07

Engineering prototype

Appearance and function meet production-intent methods before the design freezes.
08

Design freeze

Design for manufacturability settles draft, walls, parts and assembly time.
09

Tooling

Production moulds and fixtures commit the design to manufacturing.
10

First article and pilot

Inspect tooling samples, then test assembly, packaging and quality in a small batch.
11

Mass production and export

Volume manufacturing, quality control, logistics, customs and delivery.

Prototype stages are scoped by the audit and approved before starting.

The same team carries design records through tooling, inspection and export.

Questions

FAQ

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Related guides

This guide belongs to Build.

Read next: Pricing, How it works, Build.

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