Scaling a product from proof of concept or MVP to mass-market volume is one of the most challenging transitions in a connected product programme. Decisions that worked at small scale- a manufacturing partner, a component choice, a manual test process- often do not hold up at volume. Getting this transition wrong is expensive, and the cost of fixing it grows the further into production you are.
Good design for manufacture and cost engineering, applied early, make the difference between a smooth scale-up and a programme that stalls at the production line.
We help you and your teams plan, scale, and deliver your product from manufacturing to market, from selecting the right manufacturing partner through to procurement, quality control, and testing, whether you are producing 100 units or 100,000.
What our production and scale services cover
We tailor our involvement to where you are in the scale-up journey.
For some clients, that means a single, focused piece of work, selecting a manufacturing partner, or running a design-for-manufacture review before committing to a production line.
For others, it means a fully managed transition, spanning everything from procurement through to secure provisioning and ongoing quality control as volume ramps up. The capabilities below reflect the full range of support we provide, but the right starting point depends entirely on your product and your timeline.
Find and manage the right ODM/CEM partner
Manufacturing partner selection
Choosing the right ODM or CEM partner shapes everything that follows: cost, quality, lead time, and your ability to scale further. We help you define the right selection criteria, run a structured RFI and RFP process, audit prospective partners’ capability and capacity, and manage manufacturing partner relationships globally once selected.
Selection criteria and process definition
Capability and capacity auditing
Global manufacturing partner management
RFI and RFP process management
Finding the right things, at the right price and quality
Purchasing and procurement
Sourcing the right components, at the right price and quality, and from a supply chain you can trust, is foundational to viable volume production. We support component specification, expert purchasing and procurement, and the development of a trusted, resilient supply chain.
Component specification
Expert purchasing and procurement
Trusted, resilient supply chain development
Ensure your end product is economically viable
Design for manufacture
A product that is technically excellent but expensive or difficult to manufacture at volume is not commercially viable. We assess your design specifically for manufacturability, identify cost optimisation opportunities, and refine the design to ensure your end product is economically viable to produce at the volumes you need.
Design assessment for manufacturability
Cost optimisation
Design for manufacture refinement
Make sure your final product makes the grade
Quality control and testing
Maintaining consistent quality as volume increases requires testing infrastructure and process that simply does not exist at prototype scale. We design factory test processes and fixtures, establish quality control procedures, and manage commissioning through volume ramp, so quality holds steady as production scales.
Factory test process design
Test fixture development
Quality control procedures
Commissioning and volume ramp management
Facilitation and management of in-factory security
Secure in-factory provisioning
Every device that leaves the factory needs to be securely provisioned, with unique identities, security keys, and the foundation for remote management throughout its operational life. We facilitate and manage in-factory security, including device provisioning, serialisation, security key management, and the infrastructure for remotely managed and secured hardware.
Device provisioning at scale
Serialisation
Security key management
Remote management and security infrastructure
This is a step that is often underestimated until it becomes a bottleneck on the factory floor. Getting it right at volume requires the same security-by-design thinking we apply throughout earlier stages of a product programme.
We’ll build scalable, cost effective solutions
Cloud solutions
Volume production brings volume data, device telemetry, provisioning records, and management traffic at a scale very different from a pilot run. We build scalable, cost-effective cloud architectures on AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure, designed specifically for the data volume, latency, and storage and management demands of a production fleet.
AWS, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure
Data volume management at scale
Latency optimisation
Storage and fleet management
Why Consult Red for production and scale?
Many technology partners stop at the prototype. We don’t. Our involvement in production and scale is built on the same depth of experience that shapes our earlier-stage work, including the security architecture decisions made during planning and design, and the compliance groundwork laid during research and strategy.
We have supported clients through production and scale across media, broadband, and industrial sectors for over 20 years, with solutions now deployed in more than 100 million households worldwide.
That track record includes managing factory operations for global deployments over multi-year engagements, not just advising on the transition from a distance.
Our production and scale work connects directly with our device cybersecurity capability, particularly around in-factory provisioning, and with the compliance and risk work that should already be underway by the time a product reaches this stage.
What to expect
Initial review
We start by understanding where your product currently stands: an MVP ready to scale, an existing production line that needs optimisation, or a design that needs a manufacturability review before you commit to a manufacturing partner.
There is no charge for this conversation.
Engagement
Depending on what you need, this might be focused support for partner selection and onboarding, a design for manufacture review, or ongoing managed support through volume ramp.
We have managed factory operations for clients over multi-year engagements, as well as supporting focused, time-bound scale-up projects.
Outcome
You move from MVP or prototype to a product that is manufactured reliably, securely provisioned, and quality-controlled at the volume your business needs, with a manufacturing partner relationship and supply chain built to support ongoing production.
We are experts in intelligent product design and development
Hardware
Video and embedded vision, connectivity (wired, wireless, GSM, LPWA), power management and low-power devices.
Embedded software
Constrained devices, bare-metal through to embedded Linux, RTOS and embedded Android, security implementation.
Cloud platforms
Architecture, data and video streaming, serverless and microservices, AWS, Azure and Google Cloud, AI and machine learning.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose the right manufacturing partner for my product?
The right manufacturing partner depends on your product type, target volume, geography, and quality requirements, not just unit cost.
A structured selection process should include clear criteria, a formal RFI/RFP process, and capability and capacity auditing of shortlisted partners, ideally including a site visit or independent audit rather than relying solely on the partner’s own claims.
We support clients through this process and continue to manage manufacturing partner relationships once a partner is selected.
What is design for manufacture, and why does it matter at this stage?
Design for manufacture (DFM) is the process of refining a product design specifically to be produced reliably and cost-effectively at your target volume.
Even a design that has worked well through MVP and field trials can include elements that are difficult or expensive to manufacture consistently at scale.
A DFM review before committing to volume production frequently identifies cost savings and reliability improvements that would be far more expensive to address after manufacturing has begun.
What is in-factory provisioning, and why does it need security expertise?
In-factory provisioning is the process of assigning each device a unique identity, security keys, and the configuration it needs to operate securely and be remotely managed after deployment.
Done poorly, this becomes both a security vulnerability, since compromised provisioning processes can affect every device in a production run, and a production bottleneck.
Getting it right requires security expertise applied specifically to the factory environment, not just to the product’s software architecture.
How do you ensure quality is maintained as production volume increases?
Quality at volume depends on having the right testing infrastructure and process in place before volume ramp begins, not adapting prototype-stage testing as you go.
This includes purpose-built factory test fixtures, defined quality control procedures, and a managed approach to commissioning and volume ramp, so that issues are caught and resolved early in a production run rather than discovered in deployed devices.
Can you support production at any volume, or only large-scale manufacturing?
We support clients producing anywhere from approximately 100 units through to 100,000 or more.
The principles of manufacturing partner selection, design for manufacture, quality control, and secure provisioning remain relevant across this range, though the specific approach and partner options differ significantly between small production runs and high-volume manufacturing.
What happens after a product reaches volume production?
Once a product is in volume production and deployed, ongoing support shifts to maintaining and operating it through its lifecycle, including software updates, security patching, field issue resolution, and eventual end-of-life planning.
Many clients move from production and scale to our maintenance and operation service at this stage, maintaining continuity with the team that supported them through manufacture.
Ready to scale your product to volume?
Whether you need help selecting a manufacturing partner, refining your design for production, or managing the transition to volume manufacture, we can support you through every stage of scale-up.
