In this post, we discuss Stages 1 and 2 of our process for bringing your contract manufacturing project to launch. Miss our previous post in this series on how to choose a contract manufacturing partner and wondering what’s going on? No problem! Read it now and then come back to learn more about what you can expect when working with Contract Manufacturing experts.
As your contract manufacturing partner, Seacole understands that bringing a product from concept to market is a major investment of time, money, and resources. Without an effective process to guide the project, it can get mired in indecision, lack of resources, and ineffective leadership.
A Quick Refresher
In our last blog in this series, to help you understand how to choose the right Contract Manufacturing Partner we reviewed a few contract manufacturing terms and how Seacole uses Stage-Gate®. As a best practice idea-to-launch process we’ve integrated it as a part of our Seacole process to benefit our contract manufacturing customers when taking your product from concept to market with speed and accuracy, leading to greater profitability for you.
Our process begins with a project manager who leads your team and drives the project through each stage. At the end of each stage in our process, the project encounters a gate where the team offers its work for review and the project manager and team leaders work to move the project forward.
Using a proven process helps us give you a data-driven recommendation on the best solution for you. Through the process, we may decide to enthusiastically move ahead with your custom product, or we may offer an existing solution that will exceed your expectations while saving you the cost of investing in a new formulation.
Now that you are familiar with Stage-Gate® and how Seacole uses it as a part of its contract manufacturing processes and the nuances between toll blending, contract manufacturing, and the other industry terms, we are ready to share what’s next in the process of taking your project successfully from concept to market.
Stage 1: We Review Your Project
Our first stage is project or concept review. Once we receive your request, the Seacole team is ready to take action. Your team will consist of professionals from our sales, safety, quality control, lab, production, and purchasing departments. Each of these professionals will review your request through their lens. This offers us a comprehensive overview of your project.
Once the team completes their work, the team leaders review the findings to continue to move your project forward.
Stage 2: Preliminary Assessment of Your Project
Now we’ve entered Stage 2 of our process. Here we will complete your onboarding process and perform our preliminary assessment of your project. Your sales representative and contract manufacturing team will assign a project manager to your project. Your sales rep and your project manager will become your primary points of contact throughout the rest of the project. The project manager will oversee all the work Seacole does on your project and be a key decisionmaker at every stage in your projects process.
Before we can complete our preliminary assessment of your project, your project manager will need to gather additional information from you. They will share the Contract Blending Customer Inquiry form with you and help you complete it so our team can move forward with their assessments. Your Seacole sales representative will reach out to you for a cost target at this time.
Once the teams complete their work in Stage 2, the leaders of these teams meet to review the findings. Once they are done, your project manager will provide a thorough review of their findings and prepare you for the next steps.
Sound like a lot of work? It is, but don’t worry, this what we do! We’ve found spending a little time at the beginning of the project to define its scope can prevent headaches and heartache down the line. As a project passes through Stages 1 and 2 in our process, we know we’ve done the legwork to ensure your proposed project is the best solution for the challenge you are facing.
We can now confidently move your project forward to Stage 3: Detailed Technical Assessment & Cost Analysis. More on Stage 3 in the next blog post of the “What You Need to Know When Choosing a Contract Manufacturing Partner” series.
Where passion and chemistry collide, opportunities are born! If you have an idea for custom blending project or are looking for expert support in sourcing a chemistry you require, reach out to the Seacole, your contract manufacturing partner, today.
