The Supply chain challenge for start-up companies and small businesses is quite different from that for bigger companies. Quantity is the king. For custom designs and small quantities, it can be pretty hard to find suppliers and manufacturers that can attend to small businesses at a reasonable price.
Are there any to solution for your MVP or prototyping as a startup or small venture?
1. 3D printing
If you need something smaller and quicker, 3D printing may work for you. You could find 3D printing workshops online or near you. Noisebridge, a donation based maker space in San Francisco has the 3D printing equipment you can use to get started. They offer some training classes on this topic as well.
2. Manufacturers who ask for tooling fees
If you need something which can be used for production in the future and at high voulmes, paying for tooling fees may be a good option.
There are some small or newer manufacturers who may ask for tooling fees for your design. It may need couple thousand dollars depending on your design and requirements.
3. Incubator, venture capital and work place
Hard tech venture capital like Hax and Bolt would connect you to different manufacturer resources. Some work places like Circuit Launch have some equipments and tools you could use as well.
4. Consulting firm
There are consulting firms such as Triple Solid which will help you find the best solutions for your company.
Triple Solid is providing supply chain/procurement service and engineering consulting for startups and small businesses.
Please contact Triple Solid to learn more about our solutions: https://triplesolid.com/
Email: info@triplesolid.com
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