Overview

• Do you have a product idea (either your own idea, or maybe something inspired by an existing listing you’ve seen somewhere online) and want to know how you can create and start selling your own product or line of multiple products?
• Have you ever thought about starting your own product brand to sell on Amazon?
• Did you know that you don’t need to be rich, have direct contact with manufacturing factories or an in-house design team, or even be particularly talented to establish a line of your own products?

Lots of regular, everyday people create their own brands and sell products online. Creating and selling products does not have to be as difficult as you might think!

Amazon has opened up a new avenue for entrepreneurs wanting a wide distribution for their products, and this applies equally to both upcoming creators and those who have already found a measure of success. A lot of money can potentially be made in this way, either by:

1. going through the whole design and manufacturing process, in order to brand and sell your own products through which you can potentially gain higher profits. This is where we come in, as a full service product design and manufacturing company, we can take your idea from concept to being ready to mass manufacture and sell
2. finding pre-existing products — sometimes the same products that others are selling — that you can put your own logo and packaging on (sometimes called white-labelling);
3. or through creating a range of private label products that other brands can put their logo on if the quality is good enough (although your margins could be quite small in this instance).

For private sellers struggling to get their products out to the world, Amazon provides them with a platform that, if used well, can help to establish a unique and trusted brand with local and even global visibility.

If you can conduct good product research, find a product that is unique and really in need and sell your own or private label products, you could make a name for yourself, and potentially a lot of money in the process. Let’s get you a little closer to having people hit that buy box on your Amazon product!

What is a Private Label Product?

Private label products are products created by a manufacturer and then customized with a logo and branded packaging and sold as a unique product.

Private label products are goods and services produced by one company to be branded and then sold by another company. This means that you don’t personally need to have an in-house product design and manufacturing team in order to sell a product.

You may be able to find generic product ideas that you can private label, or with a manufacturer like us, we can brand the product as part of the production process for you.

Some examples of private label products include Target’s Mainstays and any of the many Amazon private label product options – Amazon’s basic batteries for instance.

If you want to start your own online business to sell private label products through Amazon, you will be using Amazon seller central. For this, you’ll need an Amazon seller central account.

Benefits of Amazon Private Label Products

Private label products have many benefits, including:

Increased brand credibility

Selling products under a private label allows you to capitalize on on-demand products, selling things you know people want and need under your own brand. If the products are good, or you can improve on an already existing product, this can give a strong boost to your brand’s credibility.

Higher profit margins

White label and private label products (unless you’re producing products for a huge corporation trying to keep their prices as low as possible) typically have a good profit margin. These products can be produced inexpensively and sold at a higher price. Speak to us directly if you would like a very accurate idea of how much a product is likely to cost to design and produce.

Find the right product to sell and you could see your profits increase over time as you make more and more sales

More exposure

It goes without saying that Amazon has become one of the main places that people shop. By selling on their platform, even if you are also selling on your own website, you can potentially reach a much wider audience, that eventually might buy from you directly.

Options for customization

Getting ideas from selling private label products on Amazon gives you the liberty into the future of taking a generic product that’s selling well, and customizing the product to your own liking to enhance it, therefore helping you better solve the problems your customers are facing and to stand out among other competitors.

Tips On How to Start a Private Label Business On Amazon

Here are some tips on how to sell your own products on Amazon.

Brainstorm for product ideas

The first thing to do before you start selling private-label products on Amazon is to take some time to think about the product you want to sell. Who will be your customers? Why will they want to buy your product? What problem does your product solve for them?

Conduct proper market research

Once you’ve identified a few ideas that seem like great products to sell, you should undergo some proper market research to ascertain whether or not your proposed product is likely to be successful. Are there similar products that already have a market? Are you too much like other products to stand out? Can other competitors greatly out compete you on price? This research will also help you identify your potential customers and understand what they like and what they might be really interested in buying.

Understand your customers and what they want and need, what problems they have that your product will solve and you could be onto a winner!

Talk to a product designer and manufacturer

After you’ve gotten the perfect product idea, completed your market research and decided the product is viable, the final step to take is to get it made (assuming you are designing or re-designing a product, rather than buying and reselling products which have already been manufactured).

To get a product ready for sale, you will need to develop a relationship with an experienced supplier or manufacturer. Dealing directly with manufacturers may sound intimidating, and it is if you don’t know what you’re doing, what to look for, how to do quality control, and many other things that experienced product designers and engineers know to look for. For this reason we recommend using the valuable insight and pre-established relationships of potential suppliers to your advantage.

Creating a product can be quite straightforward if you utilize the skills of someone who is already experienced in the field. Here at J — CAD Inc. we are product designers, CAD artists, prototypers and manufacturers all in one. We have all the experience, equipment and relationships in place already to help you get the product you want made as quickly as possible. And all we need to get started is a sketch of your product idea with your planned specs and dimensions.

Finalize your logo, design, and packaging

When you sell your own private label product, if it will carry your brand you’ll need to come up with your own logo and packaging. The most affordable way to do this is by hiring someone on a freelancing platform like Upwork. There you can find many talented graphic designers who can design your branding and packaging at a very reasonable cost.

If you are providing a private label product for another company, and you already have that partnership in place, the company will likely give you instructions for putting its logo on the packaging and the product, if they aren’t going to be doing that themselves.

Frequently Asked Questions Related to Selling Your Own Products on Amazon

What is Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)?

Fulfillment By Amazon (FBA) is a service offered by Amazon which provides sellers with assistance for logistics like storage, packaging, and shipping. This service permits sellers to ship products to an Amazon fulfillment center, where items are stored in warehouses for a period of time until they are sold. Whenever an order is made, Amazon employees then assemble the orders and ship the products straight to your customers.

How Can I Register My Own Brand on Amazon?

As a business owner, you can register your brand on Amazon via the Amazon Brand Registry Program.

The Amazon Brand Registry Program enables brand owners to register their brand with Amazon in order to get access to enhanced marketing features. It also helps companies to retain full control on Amazon over their product and branding, by protecting trademarks registered on Amazon. Enrollment into the Amazon brand registry program is pretty straightforward and is a one-time process, which can be done via Seller Central using your Amazon seller central account.

To be eligible for this program, however, your trademark has to be registered in the country you wish to register under or you need to have a pending trademark application filed through the Amazon IP accelerator.

Are there any free tools that are good for increasing product sales on Amazon?

There are a number of free tools that can be used with Amazon. These tools allow you, for instance, to search for a product based on keywords, categories, or brands. Examples of this type of tool include camelcamelcamel, keepa, and unicorn smasher.

Tools such as this offer solutions for data analytics, competitor monitoring, price and product estimates, and more.

Amazon UPC codes: What are they and what do they do?

An Amazon UPC code is a singular code assigned to each product on the Amazon marketplace. UPCs are used to clearly distinguish each individual item from the millions of others already existing in the online market. Amazon UPC codes make it easy to identify individual products sold on Amazon across the world. Consider it Amazon’s cataloguing system to separate each product in its database.

These codes function the same way as the barcodes you see on every product in your local supermarket. Like barcodes, each Amazon UCP code is unique and an easy scan will tell you what the product is, together with providing other relevant product information.

What are Amazon Product Listings?

An Amazon product listing is a page on the Amazon website that tells your customers all they need to know about the product you are selling. Generally, successful sellers on Amazon are those who have a solid product and who have also put in the time to create a clear and appealing product listing.

While you could try and come up with a product listing from scratch, it is, however, often best to scan through some pre-existing listings by other sellers, especially successful ones, to learn a thing or two about how to craft a product listing / page that is going to be a compelling offer for everyone seeing it and interested in your product.

What sorts of supply chain challenges are sellers facing?

Selling on Amazon is not without challenges. One challenge that sellers can face arises from supply chains. This was particularly a problem over the last few years because everything was so shut down. We are pleased to report though, that despite the policies still in place in China, we are not seeing supply chain delays for our clients.

Supply chains were problematic over the last few years, but have become more consistent again of recent times

What are some examples of profitable products to sell on Amazon?

Profitable products come in all shapes and sizes. Because they’re in such high demand, they get a lot more sales. More sales equals more profit!

Products that are currently hot sellers on Amazon include jewelry, pet products, home / kitchen products, sport and outdoor products. If you’re planning a product in any of these areas and you’ve done your research, you might get a lot of people hitting the buy box when you sell on amazon.

Fidget spinners have been very popular products in recent years, showing that a product does not have to be complicated to be successful

What is the importance of Amazon keyword research?

Amazon keyword research is a very important step Amazon sellers or FBA sellers usually take as part of market research for their product. Amazon keyword research involves choosing a focus keyword and then finding relevant terms people are searching for related to your product. These keywords are used to identify how much interest a product may receive, to optimize listings in order to attract prospective customers and to boost the product’s Amazon ranking in the Amazon search results.

Although many people might not realize this, Amazon is actually one of the largest search engines on the internet. Buyers on Amazon often browse the site using the search bar to input the brand name or type of product they’re looking for.

As a result, keywords form an integral part of every Amazon listing. Generally, when an Amazon product is optimized for search, it has a better chance of being found by more people which greatly increases the sales potential of the person or business selling on Amazon.

Keyword research is very important when it comes to selling on Amazon

Can I legally resell on Amazon?

Yes, it is completely legal to resell other people’s products on Amazon. In fact, you will often find resold items on Amazon, as almost anyone can be a reseller. For this reason you can often find very similar or identical items offered by different sellers at different price points.

Reselling a product (where you purchase a product for a cheaper price and then sell it on at a higher price and profit from the difference) is different to private or white labelling a product, in which you put your own branding on a generic product.

Some people buy bulk close out products and then resell them at a higher price on Amazon, pocketing the difference

What are Amazon FBA fees?

The fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) fee (also known as the pay-and-pack fee) is a flat fee per unit, which is dependent on the size, weight, and category of the product. To estimate your total FBA fee, you’ll need to know the product type as well as the sizing tier of your goods. After that, you can use the shipping weight to determine the flat FBA fee per unit of your products.

Does Amazon offer labeling services?

Yes, Amazon offers labeling services. You have three options for labeling your products: You could use existing UPC or EAN barcodes for eligible products, apply Amazon barcodes onto the product or packaging material, or use the FBA Label Service to apply barcodes to your items ready for shipping for a per-item fee.

Do you need help with manufacturing a product to sell on Amazon?

J — CAD Inc. has helped clients design, prototype and manufacture products that are on sale all over the world. We have the knowledge and experience to help you through all stages of the product design process.

If you’d like more information about manufacturing a product to sell or white label on Amazon, get in touch on or send through a request for a quote here, and one of our friendly team will get back to you in 5 – 10 minutes.

We look forward to speaking with you!

Jason Vander Griendt

Jason Vander Griendt is a Mechanical Engineering Technician with years of experience working at major companies such as SNC Lavalin Inc, Hatch Ltd. Siemens and Gerdau Ameristeel. He is the CEO of JCAD – Inc., a company he started in 2006 after seeing a gap in the market for businesses who could assist clients through the entire product design and manufacturing process.

Jason has been featured in Forbes, has had his businesses analyzed and discussed in multiple start-up books, was a previous winner of the Notable8 Digital Innovator of the year award, and is a regular guest on business panels and podcasts. Email Jason at jason@jcadusa.com, or follow him on LinkedIn.

The post Can I Sell My Own Manufactured Products on Amazon? appeared first on J-CAD Inc. 1.888.202.2052.

Otherwise, keep reading to learn more about the process.

Overview of the Vacuum Casting Process

Industrial manufacturing processes are getting increasingly challenging owing to the complex parts required and high production costs. Meeting these needs cost-effectively has birthed the vacuum casting process.

Vacuum casting, otherwise called polyurethane casting or urethane casting, is a manufacturing process that makes a cast of an object by drawing a liquid material into a silicone mold using a vacuum. This differs from a closely related process, injection molding (IM), in which the liquid materials are pushed into the mold by force.

The vacuum chamber offers the advantage of removing air bubbles that may interfere with the fine details of the final product. Hence, this process is a great method for rapid prototyping and manufacturing products with undercuts or fine details.

Production quality parts can be made using the vacuum casting process, and this type of manufacturing is often used to create visually enticing prototypes as well as non-mechanical consumer products.

The material used in this casting process is polyurethane and several types of poly are available depending on the temperature, flexibility, and durability required in the final product. These include rubber, PP, ABS, PC, etc. These materials offer varying properties for your rubber components or other polyurethane parts.

Vacuum casting or Urethane casting is a cost-effective process compared to IM batch production and other manufacturing processes for low volumes production.

Vacuum Casting vs Injection Molding

A vacuum casting machine. Image by Lukadent, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>

The vacuum casting process and injection molding share a lot of similarities. However, one of their biggest differences lies in the type of mold used.

In the latter, aluminum, steel, etc. are used in making molds. Vacuum casting on the other hand uses silicone molds. The cheap cost of silicone means that many manufacturers choose vacuum casting as a cost-effective manufacturing process for shorter production runs.

Vacuum casting allows for the manufacturing of multiple components of products simultaneously, hence increasing the efficiency and reducing the cost of the manufacturing process. Also, since the quality of the products is comparable to those from IM, vacuum-cast models can be used for fit and function testing and other marketing purposes. These molds have a limited lifespan however, so for large volume production runs an aluminum mold and manufacturing via an injection process is more appropriate.

Steps in the Vacuum Casting Process

This casting process involves the following steps;

1. Making a 3D Model of the Master Pattern

The vacuum casting process begins with making the vacuum cast component via the creation of a master model using rapid prototyping 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD).

The model specifications should be precisely calculated while creating the 3D model. Adhere to design guidelines and make adjustments where necessary.

2. Creating the Master Pattern For the Mold.

3D printing

After the design process the next step is 3D printing. The raw material for 3D printing can range from Polyurethane resin to metals and carbon fibers.

The master pattern is the object that will be used in making the silicone mold. The mold’s complexity is determined by the design of this primary model. Any deformities on the master pattern will be transferred to the silicone molds so it’s important to get the prototype right.

Other ways of making the primary pattern

Aside from using a 3d printer, there are several other ways of creating the master pattern. These include CNC machining, Stereolithography, and other economical methods that offer high precision and surface finish that creates high-quality prototypes.

3. Creation of the Silicone Mold

Making the mold requires the master pattern and a casting box.

The process starts with hanging the master pattern in the empty cavity of the casting box. Cores and inserts are also attached to the inside of the master model and in addition to these, casting gates and risers are also incorporated for pouring liquid silicone around the model suspended inside the casting box.

When the liquid silicone is poured into the casting box, it flows inside the design filling all crevices. It is allowed to cure inside the box at a temperature of 40°c for about 8-16 hours.

After the curing is completed, the mold is taken out of the box and cut along a preferred parting plane and the master model is removed leaving behind a mold. The entire process is done under vacuum pressure to keep casting deformations to a minimum.

It is important to note that silicone molds are subject to shrinkage owing to the thermal expansion of the silicone in the heating chamber. This shrinkage ranges from 1% to 4% and necessitates using high-quality silicone when using vacuum casting processes.

4. Preparing the Casting Resins

Before polyurethane casting, the poly resin mixture needs to be prepared. This is done by mixing the resin and other agents such as color pigment and heating the resin. The structural qualities of the product will determine the type of polyurethane to be used.

The resin mixture is made at 40°C in the heating chamber. The color pigment is also mixed at this stage. The mixture should be made homogeneous before pouring into the silicone molds.

When the solution is made homogeneous, the two halves of the mold are assembled and the mixture is poured into the mold using a funnel to aid uniform distribution and prevent air pockets from forming. The solution is then ready for the casting process.

5. Curing and Demolding

After the casting materials have been set in the mold and sealed, the mold is placed in the casting machine for casting under vacuum pressure.

The temperature and time of casting depend on the type of polyurethane used. When casting is complete, the mold is removed from the vacuum machine and its two halves are separated to remove the cast. The demolding stage of the vacuum casting process should be carefully done to avoid damage to the cast.

While removing the cast, excess material from gates and runners is trimmed off and any other additional finishing is done while making sure to maintain surface textures.

After these tasks are finished, the vacuum casting process is complete and the products are ready to be used.

Technical Specifications of the Vacuum Casting Process

Maximum Part Dimensions:

The size of the mold for the vacuum casting process is limited by the dimensions of the vacuum chamber which is typically 1900 x 900 x 750mm. The volume of the product is also a limiting factor with a maximum volume of 10 liters.

Minimum Wall Thickness:

To ensure that the mold is filled properly a wall thickness of at least 0.75mm is required. However, we recommend a wall thickness of at least 1.5mm.

Typical Quantities:

Depending on the mold’s complexity and casting material, each mold can be used to produce 20 to 25 copies of the prototype. Vacuum casting can be used to make small batches of quality parts using silicone molds. If you require larger numbers of the finished product consider aluminum molds instead.

Accuracy:

The vacuum casting process has an accuracy of ±0.3% with a lower limit of ±0.3mm on dimensions smaller than 100mm.

Typical Lead Time:

The vacuum casting process has a lead time of up to 20 parts in 15 days or less depending on the specifications and volumes of parts required.

Starting a short run or vacuum casting project

If you have an upcoming need for a short production run of items, look no further than the team here at JCAD!

We have decades of experience in all facets of manufacturing, including CAD design, prototyping, making master patterns and creating molds, either in aluminum for more durability, or silicone to aid in cost-efficiency.

Get in touch today via our quote form, talking to us through live chat or calling . We look forward to speaking with you!

Jason Vander Griendt

Jason Vander Griendt is a Mechanical Engineering Technician with years of experience working at major companies such as SNC Lavalin Inc, Hatch Ltd. Siemens and Gerdau Ameristeel. He is the CEO of JCAD – Inc., a company he started in 2006 after seeing a gap in the market for businesses who could assist clients through the entire product design and manufacturing process.

Jason has been featured in Forbes, has had his businesses analyzed and discussed in multiple start-up books, was a previous winner of the Notable8 Digital Innovator of the year award, and is a regular guest on business panels and podcasts. Email Jason at jason@jcadusa.com or follow him on LinkedIn.

The post Vacuum Casting Process Explained appeared first on J-CAD Inc. 1.888.202.2052.

It is very exciting to have a bright new idea for a product with a ton of applications. It’s even better if you can make money from it. But the process of getting through the design, budgeting, procuring raw materials and production stages can be daunting if you are not well prepared.

In this post, we will take you through that process. Keep in mind though that you can save money, time and a lot of stress as well as dramatically shortening the process and learning curve by seeking guidance and help from a company that specializes in manufacturing (like us here at J – CAD!).

The very first step after having a great idea is to design the product. For instance, if you want to make a new type of speakers, you will need to design the look and feel of the product including understanding the raw materials you are going to use. Since we are in the 21st century, we use computer-aided design (CAD) to create a product mock up.

Factoring in Costs For Computer Aided Design

To begin with, we need to create a 2D or 3D model of your product using a user-friendly CAD program that allows us to easily make changes to the design if we need to. A CAD design is basically a highly accurate computer simulation / model of your product idea.

In the past, CAD design software was used to analyze physical qualities of a project, like estimating how much heat and pressure a product could withstand or measuring the thickness and toughness of a product. You can do the same manually using geometric and numeric values of the design but why would you when it’s so much easier using a computer to do the calculations for you. Today, you can also get an estimated cost by analyzing the parameters of your digital model. That means you don’t have to wait until you have a physical prototype to make a budget estimate for producing anything from a single unit to many thousands or hundreds of thousands.

The cost of estimation with some software is literally as simple as this:

• We either design the CAD file for you, or if you already have a CAD file (in which case you don’t have to factor CAD design into the cost) we can import the file into our CAD programs.
• Create a price list with details like a description of the required materials, unit of measurement and unit price. You can also import a reference price book if you have one.
• Then we return to the CAD drawing and match each part of the product with its corresponding price and define the measurements.

For example, if you are costing the outer material of a speaker casing, define the area that the fabric covers in the measuring system you are following (cm/m/in etc).

We can do this for each part or the whole product. The ‘bill of quantities’ will give you a final tabulation of what materials you need and how much money it will take to manufacture one unit. This is incredibly useful information when you get to the next stage: prototyping, although fairly complicated for beginners to implement and understand. This is where enlisting the help of a manufacturing company comes in. We have experience with many different types of projects in many different industries. Based on previous projects we can give you an estimated cost, and then when we have a CAD design for your project we can do all the heavy lifting for you in terms of getting an accurate quote for mass production.

It’s also important to factor in economies of scale, which can be hard to understand and predict if you’re not doing this all day every day. Although more relevant for smaller production runs, the cost of the CAD design also needs to be factored into the overall per unit price, by dividing the cost for the design by the number of units you are planning to produce. This is also true for any prototyping costs as we’ll see in the next section.

Prototyping and Costs

The first step of physically manufacturing a product that has only been available as a design in your head and then on the computer up until this point is prototyping. Prototyping is the process of making a sample of your product. Because prototypes are one-off samples, they cost more to produce than your unit price will when manufacturing in bulk, but they can save you untold amounts of money in the process.

Imagine for a moment if you went ahead with mass producing a part that had a critical structural fault in it. You may waste an entire production run, effectively doubling your per unit cost, as you would need to re-do the whole production run with the structural issue resolved. Prototypes allow you to uncover these sorts of issues early on in the process. It may seem like a waste of money to create one of more iterations of prototypes, but it can potentially save you a large amount in the long run.

Part of the prototyping cost can include having engineers review your prototype to tell you what’s working and what’s not so that you can make changes until it is perfect for full production. Remember that if you miss or forgo this step you might try and mass produce a product which is not physically sound, viable or fit for purpose.

Formula For Estimating the Cost Per Unit When Producing Items in Bulk

Whether you want to make 10 mugs or 10,000 engine parts, to calculate the total manufacturing cost, you must know how much it costs to make one unit. Total cost is calculated by adding all the resources required to make one finished unit including materials, labor charges and overheads, minus discounts that can be applied for economies of scale.

To keep it simple for now however, the basic formula assuming no discounts for large scale production is:

Materials (for prototypes and the finished product itself) + labor (CAD design, wages for factory staff) + overheads (factory rent, equipment purchase and upkeep etc.) = Total manufacturing cost

What Do Material Costs For Production Include?

Direct materials are basically the cost of the inventory, eg. the raw materials used in the manufacturing process minus any materials leftover at the end if they can be re-used in other production processes.

For example, if you spend $10 for the inventory and you are left with $2 worth of excess material at the end of the process that can be re-used or sold back to the factory your unit cost for materials is: $8

What Labor Costs Are Involved in Manufacturing a Product?

Then there is direct labor cost which is this instance are the wages and payroll taxes of the people running the factory where your product is made, the CAD designers who design your product, the project manager who makes all the moving parts work together etc. This may be worked out at a daily or hourly rate depending on the kind of labor you employ. In that case, you also need to calculate units made per hour or day.

What Are Manufacturing Overhead / Indirect Costs?

Finally, there will be overhead costs which are over and above what you need to produce the product. Things like factory rent, maintenance, depreciation of equipment, etc. all fall in this category. Sometimes, these are also referred to as indirect costs.

With their powers combined…

All of these factors combine to calculate your total cost per unit, and will be factored together into a cost when getting an estimate on your project from a manufacturer. If the estimated cost is beyond your budget, there are ways to reduce your unit cost including for example:

• Using cheaper materials or getting creative with production waste
• Increasing the unit quantity. Efficiencies of scale generally mean that the more units you buy the less each of them cost
• Making use of cost of living differences to choose where you manufacture. Manufacturing in China for instance is much cheaper than manufacturing locally (but can still be the same quality)

Wrapping Up

If all of the above information seems overwhelming and makes you want to give up, don’t!

If you’d like a ballpark figure of how much your project is likely to cost, give us a call on or fill out our quote request form and we’ll get back to you asap. We can even explain the process and how all the costing is worked out if you’d like.

We look forward to speaking with you!

Further reading: What manufacturing industry types are there?

Jason Vander Griendt

Jason Vander Griendt is a Mechanical Engineering Technician with years of experience working at major companies such as SNC Lavalin Inc, Hatch Ltd. Siemens and Gerdau Ameristeel. He is the CEO of JCAD – Inc., a company he started in 2006 after seeing a gap in the market for businesses who could assist clients through the entire product design and manufacturing process.

Jason has been featured in Forbes, has had his businesses analyzed and discussed in multiple start-up books, was a previous winner of the Notable8 Digital Innovator of the year award, and is a regular guest on business panels and podcasts. Email Jason at jason@jcadusa.com or follow him on LinkedIn.

The post How to Estimate the Cost of Manufacturing a Product Using a Per Unit Formula appeared first on J-CAD Inc. 1.888.202.2052.

Eco-design is one of these solutions. It is a philosophy that works out all the kinks in a manufacturing process to the extent where each step of the way is as green as possible.

Where to Begin With Eco-Design?

The best way to begin is to figure out and understand the manufacturing processes that will go into making your product, and to try and ensure you reduce any dependencies on materials and processes that hurt the environment. Sounds simplistic and rather obvious? Let’s dive deeper.

For this you must start with the concept of eco-design in mind. Eco-design is a strategy that aims to make a product last as long as possible while keeping it waste-free. The process starts with designing your product with sustainable materials, and the end goal is to keep the goods in a circular economy when your consumer is finished with them.

This means that when the product reaches the end of its natural use, it is repurposed to be used for something else. For example, there are plenty of videos on Youtube where t-shirts are turned into handbags, or stationery clips are used to keep wires from getting tangeld. The Patagonia clothing brand are also a good example of this – they ask their consumers to return any clothes they are finished with for store credit. These clothes are then refurbished and re-sold second hand.

What Does a Typical Product Life Cycle Look Like?

A typical product life cycle looks like this:

Extracting raw materials → manufacturing and production → distribution → purchasing → use and maintenance → disposal

In that context, eco-design makes a lot of sense because it’s not just the end product that interacts with the environment but the entire process involved in making it.

For years, manufacturers have focused on building reliable and cost-effective products. Instead, when you try to clean up the entire life cycle of a product from raw materials to disposal, it is called product stewardship; a systematic effort to reduce risk to the environment and human health during a product’s life cycle.

Product stewardship ensures that:

• Product design is evaluated for ecological impact
• Eco-conscious material selection and manufacturing is supported
• Maintenance and recycling takes place with ease
• Disassembly (at the end of product life cycle) is supported
• Waste collection systems are in place and effective
• Hazardous waste is safely disposed of
• Manufacturing and maintenance processes undergo environmental impact assessment
• Costs of support and recycling are kept low

How to Apply Eco-Design Theory?

You might think all of this is easier said than done but if you’re serious about the benefits of eco-friendly product manufacturing you’ll find it’s not too hard to build these steps into your workflow. The best thing about an eco-focused approach is that almost 80 percent of the impact a product will have on the environment is determined in the design phase. So, careful attention when designing your product to finding unique ways to make circular goods that are also visually-pleasing and functional is a must.

Once your design is finalized the next step is the raw materials.

1. Try to use locally-sourced materials to decrease the cost of transportation emissions wherever possible. Look into reclaimed sources of materials instead of virgin materials. Consider manufacturing with recycled ocean plastic for instance. If you’re looking at textiles, think of eco-friendly fibers and look at the pros and cons of using those in terms of longevity and how they might compare to similarly produced less ecologically friendly materials.
2. If you are using plastic, pick compostable plastic or introduce fillers like starch, switchgrass, flax and wood to make the product look good, while also increasing the bio-content of the product.
3. Pick materials and designs that are durable and which avoid design fads so that they remain relevant and functional as long as possible and don’t quickly end up in landfill. This helps to greatly increase the product life cycle.
4. Make sure these materials can also be easily recycled when their life cycle does come to an end.
5. If you are using dyes and inks, try to keep the volatile organic compounds or VOCs to a minimum because these are potent greenhouse gases and can be bad for people’s health as well as the environment.

How To Manufacture In An Environmentally Friendly Way

After materials, it is time to look at the manufacturing process.

1. When it comes to reducing the ecological footprint, your design must be such that most of the raw manufacturing material is used in production and there is minimum waste.
2. Make the production process as energy efficient as possible by looking into renewable energy options. Also, try to keep water and chemical usage to a minimum.
3. Try to increase the life cycle by mindful use of packaging, transportation and product distribution.
4. Try to keep scraps and damaged units to a minimum so that you don’t have to throw much if anything into landfill.
5. Encourage your customers to do more good by simply choosing your product and promoting its overall benefit to the environment.

How to Market Environmentally Friendly Products

Marketing the product is the last part of the process that can be controlled by a manufacturer.

1. Start by labeling the product as eco-friendly so that customers know it is ethically manufactured.
2. Get your product verified/certified for ethical practices and environmental management by independent suppliers and contractors.
3. Let your customers bring the product back to you at the end of its product cycle. Choose to recycle, repurpose or donate it.

In Conclusion

There are lots of advantages to going green. Apart from the fact that your product will be better for the people who use it and the environment, in some cases you might actually reduce your manufacturing costs too. Many consumers are now turning towards eco-friendly products and “voting with their wallet”, so making your products more ecologically and environmentally friendly can also help expand your customer base and be good for your bottom line.

If you need some help designing or manufacturing an eco-friendly product, give us a call on or fill out our quote request form for more info. We’d love to help you manufacture your product in a way that’s also good for the environment!

Jason Vander Griendt

Jason Vander Griendt is a Mechanical Engineering Technician with years of experience working at major companies such as SNC Lavalin Inc, Hatch Ltd. Siemens and Gerdau Ameristeel. He is the CEO of JCAD – Inc., a company he started in 2006 after seeing a gap in the market for businesses who could assist clients through the entire product design and manufacturing process.

Jason has been featured in Forbes, has had his businesses analyzed and discussed in multiple start-up books, was a previous winner of the Notable8 Digital Innovator of the year award, and is a regular guest on business panels and podcasts. Email Jason at jason@jcadusa.com or follow him on LinkedIn.

The post How to Design Environmentally and Eco-Friendly Products appeared first on J-CAD Inc. 1.888.202.2052.

The best part of entrepreneurship is the opportunity to attain various freedoms:

• The freedom from an overbearing boss
• The freedom to enjoy your work
• The freedom to build and grow the way you think is best
• The freedom to enjoy time with family and friends
• The freedom to set your calendar

There are many more positive attributes of starting your own business. It can be a massive investment to decide to quit your job in the name of starting a company and the risk is often enough to scare people away from the thought altogether. Enter: the side hustle. Starting with a side venture that allows you to continue a full-time job is a low-risk, high-reward play that could provide you all the freedoms listed above…and more!

There are many questions to be answered about a decision like this. Where to start? How to succeed? Why are you different than those that have failed before? We can answer those questions in short order while providing tips on how to get started with your side hustle making candles, chocolates and (or) soaps.

Are Candles, Chocolates, and Soaps Good Options For Starting a Side Business?

It may seem odd that we have provided you a business idea right from the start. There are several reasons these items are popular on e-commerce sites like Etsy.

They Are Popular:

The small business niche has boomed recently and shows no sign of stopping. With increasing consumer fatigue towards corporate entities, small shops and online retailers are reaping the benefits.

Candles are wildly popular, with over 70% of homes in the United States using them. Chocolate has an obvious appeal and custom soaps are beginning to see growth as the vacation rental property market has caught on to their appeal.

They’re Easy to Get Started With:

Pre-made molds are already available for these products and the development of 3D printing assistance platforms makes customizing a breeze. There is no dedicated space required for making these products and producing any of the three has a minimal learning curve (although chocolates may require food safety certificates, check your local by-laws).

Since we mentioned 3D printing, let’s use the opportunity to answer the question, “Why are you different than those that have failed before?” The answer is that your little business could offer unique candle, chocolate or soap shapes and designs. 3D printing offers the opportunity to create virtually any shape you can imagine. Company logos, favorite local sports teams, or school mascots are all within the realm of creating molds using 3D printing.

Set yourself apart by experimenting with weird and wonderful or niche specific shapes. If you need some help turning your ideas into 3d printed molds, give us a call. By using our knowledge and molding and manufacturing equipment it eliminates the need for owning your expensive equipment or trying to learn how to use it.

They Can Yield Good Returns:

These products are popular, as we discussed earlier. This means you can expect to set a higher price point for them and still see your inventory ship out. While your business may start as a fledgling Etsy shop, you could eventually branch out into sales as a vendor for brick and mortar gift shops and craft stores.

There is An Established Market:

For some new businesses, an area that has already been established can have some major downsides like market saturation and heavy competition. With candles, chocolates, and soaps, customers are likely to try the “new kid on the block” to see what you have to offer that others might not.

Answering “How to Succeed” As An Entrepreneur Selling Unique Chocolates, Candles and Soap

To be straightforward, there are probably more Etsy and e-commerce failure stories than there are those detailing great success. However, proper planning goes a long way toward creating a sustainable model that could provide an income that you would be happy with.

Here are nine steps that can help you succeed:

1. Spend time narrowing down your business to one concise sentence. Describe who you are and what you do/offer.
2. Know your customer before you start. Most small business failures take a “we will sell to whoever walks in approach.” If you know your customer as you create your inventory, your products will naturally be attractive to them.
3. With that said, be willing to change. Sometimes the market changes. Sometimes your customers change preferences. In any case, do not become set on one design scheme. You must be flexible to maintain any sense of long-term success.
4. Know what makes you different and stick with it. Is it your packaging? Is it the products themselves? Is it your clever product names? Once you have determined a “niche”, stick with it. Your customers will likely be drawn to it and will be dismayed if you stray.
5. Your brand should make sense. A clever name that doesn’t jive with your product line will not appeal to customers. Calling your line, “The Chocolate Cat”, and only selling dog items might be a bit of a turnoff.
6. I know you do not want to hear this but…set a budget! Outline your costs for the first three months. Include supplies, the cost of 3D printing or mold making, shipping, etc. Remember to include the cost of YOU. If you prepare a budget that does not include paying yourself, then you may be shocked when two years have gone by and you aren’t feeling the reward of entrepreneurship.
7. Keep things concise. Use steps one through four to come up with a narrow product line that fulfills your sentence outlined in step one. Set prices that make sense to fulfill your budget needs, understand your ideal customer, and do not scare anyone away.
8. Settle on your scope. The ideal scenario is to sell locally to friends, family, and word of mouth clientele while running a store on Etsy or some other online platform. If things seem to be going well and you can keep up with demand, consider reaching out to stores in your area that sell locally made products.
9. Make it Official. Do not forget that running a business has aspects other than simply making and selling products. Local, state, and federal government regulations may apply to the products you are making and the sales process. Make it legit with the IRS and pay the appropriate taxes to avoid steep penalties down the road.

Creating a business on the side can be a life-changing decision. You may discover new freedoms and enjoyment that you did not know existed. Use advantages like creating your own molds with 3D printing to set yourself apart and stand out from the crowd.

If you need help designing a completely unique custom mold, don’t be afraid to reach out to us on or by using our quote form. We frequently get queries about mold making and can answer any questions you have about it simply and clearly.

Keep learning:

Easy way to make fiberglass foam molds

Jason Vander Griendt

Jason Vander Griendt is a Mechanical Engineering Technician with years of experience working at major companies such as SNC Lavalin Inc, Hatch Ltd. Siemens and Gerdau Ameristeel. He is the CEO of JCAD – Inc., a company he started in 2006 after seeing a gap in the market for businesses who could assist clients through the entire product design and manufacturing process.

Jason has been featured in Forbes, has had his businesses analyzed and discussed in multiple start-up books, was a previous winner of the Notable8 Digital Innovator of the year award, and is a regular guest on business panels and podcasts. Email Jason at jason@jcadusa.com or follow him on LinkedIn.

The post How to Use Candles, Chocolates and Soaps As a Side Hustle to Make Some Extra Income appeared first on J-CAD Inc. 1.888.202.2052.

Take the story of Vaso Karras for instance, who created a product to save dogs (and their owners!) from the pain of biting off more than they could chew. Vaso’s dog swallowed a 3 inch piece of bully stick, which got lodged in her stomach. After a trip to the vet and x-rays, Vaso decided to do something about it so that her dog and others like it would never have the same issue again.

Vaso contacted us a few months ago asking for help in finishing the design of her product idea for the “Bully Grip” and just a few short months later she was on TV showing the audience how it works! You can watch the interview here:

The idea came to her when her dog had to get an x-ray to figure out what was wrong after she started vomiting, not eating and showing other signs of stomach blockage after swallowing a large piece of bully stick. The X-ray revealed that her dog’s stomach was indeed blocked, and the vet had to operate to remove the piece of bully stick from the dog’s stomach.

That’s when Vaso decided to do something about this safety hazard for her dog and all other dogs so they could safely eat their favorite treat!

She calls it the “Bully Grip”. It works by gripping the end of the Bully stick, which helps stop dogs from swallowing larger pieces of the treats, as when the pieces become too small the dogs are not able to remove them from the grip themselves. As a result, by inserting the treat into her product idea design it’s impossible for any dog to swallow pieces that are too big.

You can learn more about how the product works and see it in action in this video:

As part of the project, we helped her finish the design and did all the required CAD mockups so it was ready for prototyping and manufacturing.

Next, we manufactured 1,000’s of units of her product at our manufacturing facility. She is now selling them online and shipping them all around the USA & Canada. What’s even more impressive is that she did this all on her own!

When we quoted her the price of manufacturing and molds she realized she didn’t need investors or outside help. She could do this herself and it was affordable. This meant that Vaso was able to keep 100% control of her company which is the ideal way to go if at all possible.

Congratulations Vaso we wish you much success with your product!

If you think Vaso’s idea is great and would like to purchase a Bully Grip, you can find her website at: https://bullygrip.com

If you have a product idea that you would like to turn into a reality, get in touch with us today, either through the live chat at the bottom of the page, or by contacting us here.

You might also like: Learn how to get your product on TV on Shark Tank

Jason Vander Griendt

Jason Vander Griendt is a Mechanical Engineering Technician with years of experience working at major companies such as SNC Lavalin Inc, Hatch Ltd. Siemens and Gerdau Ameristeel. He is the CEO of JCAD – Inc., a company he started in 2006 after seeing a gap in the market for businesses who could assist clients through the entire product design and manufacturing process.

Jason has been featured in Forbes, has had his businesses analyzed and discussed in multiple start-up books, was a previous winner of the Notable8 Digital Innovator of the year award, and is a regular guest on business panels and podcasts. Email Jason at jason@jcadusa.com or follow him on LinkedIn.

The post One of Our Clients Showing Off a Product We Manufactured on TV! appeared first on J-CAD Inc. 1.888.202.2052.

If you’re looking for something more in-depth however, to aid in your journey from prototype to successful product release, you might like to check out Prototype to Product: A Practical Guide for Getting to Market by Alan Cohen, a book we’ll be getting our hands on soon. It is 435 pages of valuable information on getting your product from the prototype phase to successful sales phase, and it’s reasonably priced, too!

A little about the Author, Alan Cohen is:

• A veteran systems and software engineering manager
• Lifelong Technophile
• He specializes in leading the development of medical devices and other high-reliability products

Cohen’s book talks about the ins and outs of taking a product from prototype to production, tracking the development of an intelligent, electronic device. He does this so that he can help others understand the strategies and tactics it takes to transform an abstract idea into a successful product others will WANT to use.

A few examples of what you will get when you read this book are:

• 11 deadly sins that will kill your product development
• An overview of how electronic devices are manufactured
• How to generate the requirements that describe the final product details

There’s lots more in the book beyond this, these are just a few examples of what you’ll find in the pages!

If you need some extra convincing, the book has great reviews on Amazon, 4.8 out of 5 stars, and ALL positive with only ONE review under five stars. People were literally delighted to have purchased this book. Here are a few snippets of their reviews:

“A MUST read for anyone thinking of developing a product or already in the process of doing so. It covers the process thoroughly and provides those that haven’t been through the process with a good understanding as to why it takes so much longer than just building a prototype to get a PRODUCT into the market.”
— William Brown.

“Prototype to Product is an enjoyable and informative read. The balance of technology and financial best practice for product development transitions from theory to real world practical advice.”
— Gary P.

“Bought all books available for hardware startups sold in Amazon. This is by far the most serious, solidly written, insightful one. Do not waste your money on other volumes on sale as of 20/10/2016.”
— Metin Ozsavran

“The author does a good job of providing examples of potential pitfalls for each part of the process, and some examples of how to avoid those pitfalls.”
— WEEKEND

There are several other reviews, and some of the quoted reviews are longer, but you get the picture — everyone thinks this is a great book! Especially if you are looking for thorough guidance on product development that goes beyond our ultimate guide.

In summary, Alan Cohen looks to have delivered a well written, informative book on the ins and outs of getting your idea out of your head and into prototype and production phases. He explains the pitfalls and bumps in the road to success, saving you time, effort, and money along the journey. Cohen truly understands the market and product development process, and with his help and our ultimate guide as a primer, so will you!

Related reading: What is a prototype?

Jason Vander Griendt

Jason Vander Griendt is a Mechanical Engineering Technician with years of experience working at major companies such as SNC Lavalin Inc, Hatch Ltd. Siemens and Gerdau Ameristeel. He is the CEO of JCAD – Inc., a company he started in 2006 after seeing a gap in the market for businesses who could assist clients through the entire product design and manufacturing process.

Jason has been featured in Forbes, has had his businesses analyzed and discussed in multiple start-up books, was a previous winner of the Notable8 Digital Innovator of the year award, and is a regular guest on business panels and podcasts. Email Jason at jason@jcadusa.com or follow him on LinkedIn.

The post Prototype to Product: A Practical Guide for Getting to Market by Alan Cohen – Review / Recommendation appeared first on J-CAD Inc. 1.888.202.2052.