End-to-End Program Leadership

Yes. While many of our clients are established businesses, we work with well-qualified startups as well. Well-qualified startups have secured funding for both the development and production phases, understand that hardware development is iterative and requires budget flexibility, and are open to evolving their product based on technical findings and manufacturing realities. If you're pre-funding or still validating your concept, we're happy to refer you to resources that can help you prepare for a full engagement.

Absolutely. Most companies that choose us as their design-to-manufacturing partner stick with us for years. We commonly run multiple projects in parallel for the same client, managing different product lines or development stages simultaneously. In these long-term relationships, we develop a deep understanding of your business, supply chain preferences, and quality standards—allowing us to not only execute projects faster, but also help senior leaders prioritize their development pipeline and optimize long-term manufacturing strategies.

We're typically not a good fit for speculative ideas without funding, projects that require frequent starts and stops due to budget constraints, or self-funded inventors who aren't prepared to invest in professional engineering time. Hardware product development requires iteration, learning from prototypes, and adapting designs based on test results—this process takes time and budget. The companies most successful working with us have realistic budget and timeline expectations, understand their target market, are willing to question their own assumptions, and are ready to commit to seeing a project through from design to production. If you're not sure you're ready, reach out anyway—we're happy to provide guidance on how to prepare.

Yes. Typically, we're able to get through an initial high-level discussion without needing an NDA—this allows both parties to determine fit before administrative steps. Once we agree that a deeper exploration or formal engagement makes sense, we'll execute a mutual non-disclosure agreement. We generally prefer to use our standard NDA template, but we're open to reviewing yours as well.

Yes. Our engineers manage component selection, schematic capture, PCB layout, routing, and design-for-manufacturing reviews, then validate each board with functional and reliability testing before release. We design everything from simple 2-layer boards to complex HDI assemblies with BGA components and x-ray inspection requirements.

Absolutely. We build and optimize firmware for major MCU platforms—including Microchip AVR/PIC, STMicro, Raspberry Pi compute modules, Texas Instruments, NXP, Nordic, Espressif, Renesas, and Infineon—covering use cases such as home appliances, IoT devices, remote controls, fan and LED control, wireless gadgets, and portable diagnostics. We focus on high reliability and longevity, ultra-low power optimization, safety certifications, secure connectivity (BLE, Wi-Fi, cellular), and precision DC energy analysis to maximize battery life.

Most of our mechanical design work happens in SolidWorks, with rendering in KeyShot and surfacing in Rhino when needed. For electronics, we primarily use Altium Designer for schematic capture and PCB layout. We also work with clients who use other platforms such as Fusion 360, Siemens NX, CATIA, Solid Edge, EAGLE, or KiCad—we're generally able to provide design outputs (STEP, IGES, Gerbers, etc.) that integrate seamlessly with whatever tools your internal teams use.

Absolutely. Most of the larger businesses we work with have specific requirements around drawing formats, dimensioning and tolerancing standards (GD&T, ASME Y14.5), preferred file types, software/firmware documentation templates, design review processes, and regulatory requirements. We're accustomed to adapting our deliverables and workflows to meet your internal standards—just share your corporate design guidelines and we'll align our outputs accordingly.

We operate our own 18,000 sq ft integration and export facility in Shenzhen—complete with SMT lines, wave solder, QA lab, and assembly stations—supported by remodeled offices and dormitories that help us attract and retain top talent. For projects requiring specialized capabilities (like injection molding, die-casting, or high-volume SMT), we also work with vetted private manufacturing facilities across Southeast Asia and trusted industry partners worldwide. This hybrid approach gives you the quality control of our owned facility plus the flexibility to scale and access specialty processes when needed.

Yes. We routinely manage cross-border supply chains for clients optimizing for cost, tariffs, or regional manufacturing incentives. For example, our smart baseball project ships sensor subassemblies from Shenzhen to Vietnam for final integration, and we've coordinated programs where PCBA happens in China, injection molding in Thailand, and final assembly in Mexico for USMCA compliance. Our team handles logistics, customs documentation, and quality handoffs across borders.

Absolutely. As development progresses, we often help clients decide what the best manufacturing strategy is—whether that's using our own Shenzhen facility, partnering with a specialty contract manufacturer, leveraging your internal production team, or a combination of all three. We have relationships with reputable manufacturers across Asia, North America, and Europe, and we're experienced in vetting specialty suppliers for unique capabilities like overmolding, conformal coating, high-reliability soldering, or cleanroom assembly. We'll guide you based on your volume, cost targets, lead time, and regulatory requirements.

We are ISO-9001 certified by SGS and have passed Walmart Responsible Sourcing and Apple MFi factory audits, giving brands confidence in both quality management and social responsibility. These certifications ensure we meet the rigorous standards required by top-tier retail and consumer electronics programs.

Yes. Our program management framework includes agency and safety testing coordination—covering FCC, CE, UL, CSA, RoHS, REACH, and other regulatory requirements. We maintain relationships with accredited test labs, manage the submission process, track action items from test reports, and coordinate design changes needed to achieve compliance. We also handle IQC (Incoming Quality Control), IPQC (In-Process Quality Control), and OQC (Outgoing Quality Control) documentation required for audits.

We can be your complete product team or extend your existing team. Either way, we need to fully understand your business goals, cost targets, target users, and constraints so we can make development decisions that work for you long-term. You can expect regular collaboration—typically weekly progress reviews via video call, shared access to our project portal for real-time visibility into BOMs, design files, ECOs, and QA results, and direct communication with the engineers working on your project. You should also expect us to surface unexpected findings along the way—prototype testing often reveals that a feature needs adjustment, a different material is better suited, or a cost target requires rethinking a subsystem. The best outcomes happen when clients stay engaged and are willing to adapt based on what we learn together.

Yes. Over half of our clients have internal engineering or R&D teams. These businesses engage us for a few common reasons: their internal teams are already overburdened with sustaining engineering for existing product lines, they're lacking the specific expertise required for new product development (e.g., high-speed digital design, power management, or regulatory compliance), or a project is behind schedule and needs a fresh perspective. We're comfortable collaborating across your organization—working with production teams on DFM feedback, marketing on industrial design, sales on feature prioritization, and leadership on roadmap planning. We're just as comfortable in the boardroom as we are on the factory floor.

Our bomquote.com web platform provides 24/7 visibility into BOMs, design files, engineering change orders (ECOs), QA reports, inventory levels, and logistics status—so your team can review progress, leave comments, and track action items asynchronously. For real-time collaboration, we schedule regular video calls during overlapping business hours and use shared Slack or Teams channels for quick questions. All critical decisions and design reviews are documented in the portal to maintain a clear record.

We stay engaged through pilot builds and into mass production. Our involvement typically includes production planning (line layout, test fixture design, assembly work instructions), first article inspection, ongoing sampling and inspection reporting, corrective action management when issues arise, and regular status updates on yield, lead times, and inventory. Many clients keep us engaged for years as their outsourced manufacturing and supply chain team, while others transition to self-management after we've established stable production.

Hardware development projects involve significant uncertainty and are difficult to scope completely upfront, so we break projects into phases with clear milestones. We generally work on an hourly or monthly retainer basis for the design phase, with frequent review points so you can assess progress and decide whether to continue. For the manufacturing phase, we provide fixed-price quotations covering materials, NRE (tooling, fixtures, test jigs), labor, and overhead once the design is locked. Established businesses may be eligible for payment terms after an initial deposit. For newer or smaller businesses, we typically work with a deposit to fund initial engineering and prototype builds and pay-as-you-go for continued phase-based development work.

Design-to-manufacturing projects typically range from $50,000 to $2,000,000+ in combined development, tooling, and pilot production costs, depending on product complexity, the level of design refinement required, regulatory requirements (e.g., medical, automotive), how much cost-optimization is needed to hit your target unit price, and production volume planning. Simple electro-mechanical products with off-the-shelf components may fall on the lower end, while IoT devices requiring custom firmware, FCC/CE certification, injection-molded enclosures, and high-reliability testing will be higher. We'll provide a detailed estimate after our initial scoping conversation—but as a rule of thumb, assume hardware development costs 2-3× more than initial estimates if you're new to product development. It's better to plan conservatively and be pleasantly surprised than to run out of budget mid-project.