Lunch break in China
Global Reach
Designing products to be made outside of the United States makes a lot of sense – most of the time. Over the years, M3 has developed a true appreciation for the amount of dedication required to successfully jump the hurdles presented prior to launching a product. We’ve also come to understand the importance of networking, strong relationships, and communication.
A Second Job
Anyone who has ever worked through the intricacies of long-distance design iterations, troubleshooting, and tooling approvals will understand the hours involved. When your day job is done, take a short break, because your second job is about to start. The only thing to be sure of is that your sleep pattern may never be the same. Unfortunately, travel to assist on site doesn’t necessarily alleviate the situation as your roles are simply reversed – all night emails and communication back home. This is a large part of the dedication involved, and though it can be tedious, rest assured the outcome is very rewarding.
It’s Who you Know
One key to success is to have a strong network of contacts to call on for various needs. However, determining the strengths of these resources is critical, to ensure they are appropriately utilized. That is easier said than done from afar.
Through the development of numerous types of products, M3 has managed to work with many companies. These interactions have enabled us to compile a well understood list of people we can call on when needed. In most cases, long hours have been spent in their factories and a strong mutual relationship has been developed.
This is an ever-expanding area of expertise, but one that is leveraged time and time again as new opportunities arise. Often, it is necessary to look beyond our known entities for different expertise or to meet higher standards. In these situations we are able to reach out, make introductions, and begin the evaluation process from scratch.
Communication
The most important aspect of pushing through the long-distance barrier is to find a way to clearly communicate. Covering the details with sound specifications is required, but ensuring those specifications are understood is more critical. Developing methods to break the language barrier (pictures and illustrations are generally universal) will have a positive impact on the results. Anything that can be done to break down tasks into smaller pieces will have a positive impact on the result. Repetition is the key along with confirmation. A high level of commitment is required to successfully navigate through the global supply chain maze.
