Fabrup · Sourcing & manufacturing
Product development: from need to prototype
By Fabrup · Updated September 8, 2026
Before looking for a factory, turn your idea into a defined, testable product that fits your business model.
Start with how the product will be used
Who will use it, where, and what problem should it solve? Describe loads, adjustments and user actions, not just an inspiration image. Connect these needs with your target markets, sales channels and price constraints.
Build a usable specification
Define functions, dimensions, candidate materials, care requirements, packaging and acceptance criteria. Separate essential requirements from preferences. For e-commerce, include parcel size, assembly and likely reasons for returns. Compare your target retail price with the full development and manufacturing cost.
Move to concepts and technical drawings
Depending on the scope, industrial designers and mechanical engineers translate the brief into concepts, assemblies and technical files. A presentation model is not automatically production-ready. Materials, tolerances, part drawings and processes need the right level of definition. Agree deliverables, file formats and usage rights before work begins.
Use a prototype to answer a specific question
A first prototype may test handling, size, assembly or function. It does not by itself validate the final product’s performance or compliance. A test plan and iterations establish what needs to change before industrialisation.
Prepare a useful quotation brief
Summarise the user, three priority uses, fixed dimensions, intended retail price, initial volume and development budget separate from purchasing. Add an annotated sketch and list unresolved decisions. This supports scoping; it does not replace production drawings.
How Fabrup can help
We can coordinate scoping and the required design specialists, then prepare discussions with manufacturers in China. A defined feasibility assignment is quoted first. Send a non-confidential summary, your current progress, development budget and expected quantities so we can identify the next useful step.
A product or production issue to discuss?
Tell Jérémy what you are making, where the project stands and what needs attention. A first conversation helps define whether a focused coordination assignment makes sense.
Discuss your product