Low-cost methodology
"A good decision is based on knowledge and not on numbers" (Plato, accredited with inventing a programmable, water-based alarm clock)
Electronic Game Concept (Jon Haley)
Low-cost does not mean ‘cheap’ or low quality however. There are four key ways that we keep our costs down:
- Low-cost preliminary patent and product search
- Low-cost engineering methodology
- Low-cost first-prototyping service
- Low mark-up on tooling and manufacturing services
Product and patent searching
It
is very easy to spend a lot of money on patenting. The starting point
is patent searching. A full patent search can easily cost upwards of
£800. Our ‘preliminary feasibility study’ is
designed to reveal products and patents that are relevant and this
enables you to decide whether to proceed with further investment. (See
our Feedback page to see what our clients have said about this service).
In terms of our engineering methodology low-cost means we do not initially create detailed engineering drawings. Rather, we focus on agreeing a design specification with the client. If we were to create detailed drawings then as soon as we started, something would need to be changed and then all the drawings would become obsolete. At the very start it is thus premature to create detailed drawings. The design specification becomes part of the Terms of Reference (ToRs) of our contract and we cost against this. We often undertake pilot studies in which mock-ups and test apparatus are made and used to evaluate designs and ideas before going on to prototyping.
In terms of prototyping what low-cost means that initially we attempt to prove the concept by making a first-prototype, that is, a workshop prototype. This enables us to test out the basic functionality before moving on to more sophisticated engineering techniques. This saves you money. The focus is on functionality. We aim to make something that works and that can be tested.
Tooling and manufacturing
We do our best to arrange manufacturing in the UK wherever possible. Our mark up is just 10% on cost price.
