Choosing the right partner for your Android device development and Manufacturing is one of the most important decisions that you will face. This article will provide you with some advice on how to seriously capture the attention of the bests Android Device OEMs and ODMs out there.

”The decision, after all, will have a direct impact on the quality of your product, your company’s reputation and the bottom line. When choosing a manufacturer, you’ll need to consider the nature of your company and how well the supply chain supports its business model.”, Christopher Hann,

It’s worth noting that while you’re looking for a manufacturing company to make a good impression with you and your company, it is also important for your company to make a solid impression with them so that they take your inquiry seriously and give it the attention it deserves.

Remember you and the manufacturer will become partners so the more professional and attractive the proposition you put forward to a potential partner is, the more likely it will be that a professional and attractive manufacturing company will want to form a relationship, and vice versa.

It all starts with first impressions. When you are first contacting potential partners it is well worthwhile putting forward a detailed inquiry which can really grab their attention over the other inquiries they may receive. Below are a few guidelines on what to include in an inquiry to a manufacturing partner to appropriately capture their attention:

1.  Company Background: Who are you?

Give a brief background of your company and some of its current and previous products, and/or plans for future products. As you would like to know more about the manufacturing company, its previous/on going projects and see references from them, any in-demand manufacturing company too will want to know a little bit about you, your company and its vision before it starts investing resources on your project.

This background information is not essential but can help build confidence for your potential partners.

2. Stage of Development: Where you’re at?

Outline the current stage of development of the project your company is working on. What has been done, what needs to be done etc.

Include whatever sketches and/or images you have of your design to help paint a clearer picture for the manufacturing company.

Also explain what kind of expertise your company has and what expertise (engineering, sourcing, manufacturing, etc) you’re looking for in your manufacturing partner.

3. Technical Specifications

Provide a detailed list of the technical specifications that the device requires. This will give the manufacturing company a good idea of whether or not they have the resources and capabilities to take on your project.

It may save a lot of time and conversations with a company who might not be able to achieve your desired results while they may also be able to introduce a better partner for you to work with.

4. Sales Forecast

Your sales forecast can be a huge factor in whether a manufacturing company is willing/capable to take on your project.

Depending on the business model of the manufacturing company they may require a certain volume commitment to take on a project while there may be other manufacturing companies that have a limit on the volume they can achieve.

For example, Hatch looks to partner with clients who can commit to a respectable volume (the definition of ‘respectable’ varies with each project) while there is also an added incentive to accept clients who we can have an ongoing relationship with rather than a one–off project.

It also helps the manufacturing company to provide you with a more accurate quotation as it is normally based on volume. This is another reason why it is important for these figures to be as accurate as possible.

5. Distribution Channels

A brief outline of the distribution channels for your device will help the manufacturing company understand more about how ready you are to actually distribute the product, the practicality of achieving your distribution forecast, and caveats that are unique to different distribution channels.

There are also a few aspects of the manufacturing company that are worth finding out about such as:

• How much experience it has with your specific kind of product?
• Does it have a good grasp on the supply chain in its specific area?
• What recent projects has the company been working on?
• Can the company provide any cases and/or references?
• What are the quality control standards of the manufacturing company?
• What are the manufacturing company’s payment terms?

If you have any questions on the above article or think there should be other items added to it please let me know in the comment section below and I’ll be sure to get back to you.

Garry Doran