Your first production run is a checkpoint, not a launch
For first-time hardware founders with an approved sample and no manufacturing team. We run a small first production run in China or Vietnam and check it against that sample, so you know the design holds up at scale before you pay for full volume.
A working prototype isn't a product you can build at volume yet
Most first-time founders find the gap only after tooling is paid for. A small first production batch shows it while it's still cheap to fix.
- 01
Tooling you pay for twice
Drawings that looked finished weren't ready for production, so the moulds get cut again.
- 02
A factory you've never seen
The supplier you found online could be a trading company, and you can't tell from your desk.
- 03
A date your backers already have
Suppliers, a freight forwarder and an inspector in different time zones. Every handoff is a chance for the date to slip.
Prototype to production run in three stages, with a go/no-go at each
What comes next: full production (/full-production-contract-turnkey-manufacturing), Fast-Track for tight deadlines (/fast-track) and continuous improvements (/continuous-improvements).
Avoid paying twice for tooling: drawings reviewed for casting, forging, stamping, moulding, extrusion
Worried your design gets copied? NDA on every project, with contracts through our entities in Sweden, the US and China
148 components. 72 suppliers. Delivered on time.
We built a full assembly line from scratch across 6 countries. The client dealt with one point of contact the whole way, and every supplier was held to the same spec.
Prototype to 5,000 units shipped: 200+ components across 18 suppliers, assembly line set up, QC and logistics managed.
Pilates reformer: frames, rails, springs, wheels and upholstery sourced for the founder, not chased by them. Built on jigs, checked on the line.
Cooling systems: no juggling thermal, electronics and housing suppliers. All three sourced, pressure- and performance-tested, certification supported.
Know what you're approving before the first batch runs
A first production run is a small batch made on production tooling and a real assembly line, then checked against your approved sample. It isn't the start of full manufacturing. It's a go/no-go checkpoint that shows whether your design, suppliers and process hold up at scale before you commit investor money to full volume.
A pilot production batch should be big enough to run on real tooling and the real line, and small enough that fixing a problem stays affordable. The right size depends on your product, how many components it has and your launch plan. We size the first batch with you at the quote stage, and you see the cost before you decide.
First-batch quality control measures production units against the sample you approved, not against a general standard. Our delivery managers in Ningbo check parts during production on the factory floor, not only at the end of the line. On complex builds we set up jig-based assembly with in-process checks, plus pressure and performance testing where the product needs it.
You check on the factory floor. Our factory audits cover staff size, machines, working conditions, worker safety, social responsibility, process control and management structure. The first step is confirming you're dealing with the actual manufacturer. Our bilingual delivery managers in Ningbo visit factories in person, so you don't have to.
Sourcing Allies signs an NDA on every project before any files are shared. We contract through legal entities in Sweden, the US and China, so you have a counterparty in your own jurisdiction and a clear route to recourse if something goes wrong.
Yes, if the schedule is planned backward from your delivery date. Sourcing Allies has shipped crowdfunded projects on time. We build Chinese New Year and Golden Week into the plan, because they can quietly take weeks out of a schedule. If your deadline is already tight, our Fast-Track programme is built for crowdfunded and investor-backed launches.
Sample approved? Talk to us before the tooling money goes out.
Bring your drawings and your launch date. We'll tell you straight whether a managed first production run makes sense for your product, including when it doesn't.
A drawing, a sketch or a paragraph is enough to start.