TL;DR: Selecting the right product development services partner means looking beyond who can simply manufacture a part. The right company can support your product from initial concept and design through engineering, prototyping, testing, and production.
Main points:
When you’re a product manager or a materials manager looking to source parts or even looking for a product development services, there are a few different ways you can go. You can go to a manufacturing-on-demand type of company or a full-service product development company like RCO Engineering that can take a product from the idea phase all the way through engineering, testing, and production.
Most of the manufacturing-on-demand companies do not do any design or engineering. They have their business model, and design is not part of it. That’s fine if you already have your own engineers who have gone through ideation, prototyping, testing, pre-manufacturing, more testing, and ultimately production.
If you don’t have that, and most product managers don’t have a design and engineering team in-house, that’s when you need comprehensive product design and development services from a company like RCO Engineering.
So, how do you find the serious players for product development services and choose a product development company you can trust? Here are some things to watch out for.
A great starting place is to ask to see examples of products that they’ve designed--and then do a little research into those examples. You might see something flashy and nice, but you’ll later learn that it was a major flop due to engineering failures.
What you want is a product development service company with proven experience delivering high-quality, tangible products that you can hold in your hands, stress test on your own, sit in, manipulate, or put through the harsh environments your application demands.
You’re not asking for samples at the grocery store, to be thoughtlessly consumed and forgotten. You’re asking for a history of their work, evidence of who they are as a product development firm and what they have accomplished. The examples you’re asking for are their résumé in product form.
If the company is good, then they should have clients whose products speak for themselves: successful aerospace, automotive, and other companies whose work doesn’t need a salesperson to explain its quality to you.
You should also ask about ongoing projects. If a product development company has a long history of one short-lived client after the next, then odds are good that they’re not retaining those clients for the long haul. What you’re looking for is a product development firm with repeat customers; clients who return repeatedly because its product development engineering services have supported them successfully across multiple projects and over many years.
A trustworthy provider should also be able to explain its approach to verification and validation, including how designs, prototypes and finished products are evaluated against defined requirements.
While we’ve got nothing against a bright new up-and-comer who has good ideas and a strong work ethic, having a backlist of satisfied and happy clients who have a true history with the service who can walk a prospective client through all stages of ideation, mock-ups, prototyping, testing, manufacturing and producing final product--that’s worth its weight in gold, and the prospective client should be satisfied with nothing less.
A turnkey product development company will be able to explain every part of its process, every decision it makes, and every material it uses. You should feel comfortable asking questions. The team should be willing to sit down with you and walk through its product development plan regardless of your company size.
A trustworthy provider of product development services should be willing to show you its facility, introduce you to its staff, demonstrate its capabilities, explain its testing procedures, and be transparent about how your product will move from concept toward production.
Remember that the service works for you, not the other way around. They’re not doing you a favor by deigning to take your business and try your product out, no matter how the scale or prototype. They should be actively courting you, treating you like you are not just a potential check in the bank but a future long-term partner with whom they hope to do consistent and repeat business.
Lastly, know where to look. And you need look no further than RCO Engineering. We offer turnkey product development services from concept to production. We have been doing business on the cutting edge of engineering solutions for 43 years, and plan on doing it for 43 more.
We are a group of creative designers, engineers, builders, experts and specialists, and whether you look at our references of clientele or our resume of successful products, you’re bound to find something that sparks your interest. We are willing to fight for your business, to work with you from the ground up to make your business goals a reality.
If you’re ready to work with a trusted partner to bring your product idea to life, our experienced product development team is here to help. We offer end‑to‑end support from initial design and engineering through prototype and production planning. Learn how our product development services can guide your project with clarity and expertise. Explore our product development services.
Product development services help turn an idea into a production-ready product. They can include product design, engineering, prototyping, testing, validation, and manufacturing support.
The four major types include new product development, improvements to existing products, product line extensions, and products adapted for new markets or applications.
Typical stages of product development include ideation, design and engineering, prototyping, testing and validation, pre-production, and manufacturing.
Product development costs vary based on product complexity, materials, engineering requirements, prototyping, testing, and manufacturing needs. A product development company can provide an estimate based on the project scope.
Product development timelines vary based on complexity, engineering requirements, prototyping, testing, tooling, and manufacturing preparation. More complex products typically require additional development and validation cycles.