Our guest blog post comes from Bob Nitschke, Managing Partner of Arago Partners in Seattle, WA.  Bob provides some of the key questions we’ll address in tomorrow’s seminar on “Maximizing Your Manufactuing Relationship.”  If you have these questions, join us tomorrow for education and discussion.

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Are you a first-timer?  Don’t be offended by the name; here is a general description to see if you identify with this situation.  Have you taken an idea and created a product that you feel will have a great market?  Does that product have to be manufactured?  Are you going to convert that prototype into a market ready product in your garage?  Can you handle the orders, shipping, return and maintenance, etc?  The very thought of needing a manufacturer for first-timers can be overwhelming.  If you now know you are a first-timer, then which way should you go?  Should you continue manufacturing in the garage or find a manufacturer?  The answer is “it depends”.  If you decide to outsource your manufacturing, how, where, when and with who do you select as your provider?

If your beyond the first-timer and have been outsourcing your manufacturing for a while, you may be confronted with questions that may seem like déjà vu.  Why?  Because many of the questions you should be asking as to how to change manufacturers as the same for you and the first-timer.  Do you continue to manufacture internally or outsource as you are currently, or does it make sense to change?  The answer is “it depends.”  The conditions that must be considered are very similar and should be taken seriously.