THE SOURCING GUIDE

From first idea.
To a clearer brief.

Five practical conversations to have with your manufacturing partner.

01
Define

Start with the product brief.

Describe the intended product, audience, target market, budget and quantities. Separate essential requirements from features you would like to explore.

Ask your partner

What should the product do? Which details are fixed, and which can the manufacturer develop?

02
Develop

Make the concept testable.

Discuss design ownership, development responsibilities, tooling and sampling. Agree on what a prototype will demonstrate before investing in production.

Ask your partner

Who owns the drawings and tooling? What is included in each sample round?

03
Produce

Understand the production plan.

Ask the manufacturer which operations are performed in-house and which are subcontracted. Confirm the order specification and change process in writing.

Ask your partner

What are the confirmed order quantity, production milestones and change-approval steps?

04
Review

Ask for product-specific evidence.

Request material details, test documentation and inspection plans relevant to the exact product and destination market. Do not treat a generic factory badge as evidence for every model.

Ask your partner

Which documents apply to this product? Who will check that the finished order matches the approved sample?

05
Package

Plan the finished delivery.

Agree on packaging, labeling, manuals, shipping protection and commercial delivery terms. Keep final artwork and order details together for review.

Ask your partner

Who approves packaging and labels? How are defects, replacements and shipping issues handled?