Ideas are where a Products person begins.

Firms are approached with concepts or companies create their own. However, the trick is not to actually make the concept into a reality, but rather to break down into smaller steps the way that that can happen. Without a precedent (which new ideas rarely have to the extent needed), a company has to start from scratch finding out exactly what they need.

To start, then, our company hires a consultation firm, one of the many facets of Products. They begin by finding out exactly what it takes to make the concept in question. This involves arranging testing, talking with the creator, trying to find alternative materials that it can be composed of, and generally getting a basic idea of what actually goes into the production of this item. This first step is vitally important as it’ll provide the foundation on which not only the later steps rest, but later improvements to the product.

The next step is to start working on gathering the raw materials.

Plastics need to be manufactured, rubber made, ore mined, and machines put together. Not only must our consultant find the stuff to make whatever is being made, they must also arrange for it to actually be turned into the product. If there are machines that can do it, they have to be located, priced, and purchased, as well as places to put them. If they don’t exist yet, parts have to be fabricated or a system designed to actually produce the product. Manufacturing plans have to be created and the most efficient way to make the item usable and shippable figured out.

After the product is made, who’s going to sell it?

How will it get there? What will it come in? These are all questions dealt with by people working in the Products industry. Companies may make the final decisions, but wise corporations hire people in Products to save them time, effort, and money by knowing primarily what details to be aware of and what questions to ask.

And that is largely what Products is about: knowing how to ask the right questions. Being involved in this industry means being able to direct disparate and often conflicting companies into a production all its own. It means making sure that everyone knows what needs to be done and does it on time and under cost if possible. They may not get much attention, but they make sure that ideas get to stores and eventually to homes.