Design, Manufacture and the Supply Chain
September 14, 2025 - September 14, 2025
One of the roles of the BL4L Supply Chain group is in assisting London companies to improve and develop their supply chains. London manufacturing has is relatively high cost and therefore it must be adding value to survive.
London also has a plethora of designers developing value added products and it makes sense for them to work closely with manufacturers to bring their products into being.
Product development involves three core elements apart from funding. The product must be designed, it must be made and it must be marketed. Many designer makers wish to make the transition to pure design and batch production. This involves finding the right partner to make the product.
Assess the market
First, however, it is important to establish what your market is, what people will pay for your product and what numbers you are going to need ”“ Is yours a mass market product or a niche one? Having established the above you can work out roughly what you can afford to pay to a manufacturer to have it made. (I usually divide the sale price by, say, a factor of about 4 but it varies from industry to industry). It is also important to establish who will control what and do what in your hypothetical chain. Will you supply free issue materials to a manufacturer (to ensure quality ”“ common in the clothing industry) or can they buy the materials more cheaply (more common in say furniture manufacture)?
Research your suppliers
It is then time to locate your suppliers and partners. Common methods are by use of the Internet, libraries, trade magazines and word of mouth. However, this is where the Supply Chain Group can also assist, through its years of experience of working with designers and manufacturers and its extensive contacts in the business support network.
We qualify all the leads we give to ensure that the manufacturer is both capable and interested in the project, thereby saving you time and legwork. We may also suggest alternative supply chain scenarios with which you can compare costs.
To find out more, come to our seminar Ten Top tips for fashion and furniture design and manufacture at 6.00pm on the 17th July 2003 at the CBI Centre Point.
