Contract manufacturing guides
Practical guides for the person who has to hand a product to a manufacturer. Each one follows two fictional companies, a hardware startup and a skincare brand, with real-looking numbers.
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Find and vet
- Hardware and skincareHow to Find a Contract Manufacturer (and Know It's a Real Factory)Find a contract manufacturer you can trust: write a search statement, use three source types, verify it is a real factory, and screen before you share.
- Hardware and skincareQuestions to Ask a Contract Manufacturer, and What Good Answers Sound Like20 questions to ask a contract manufacturer, with what a strong answer and a red-flag answer sound like. Plus a 30-minute first-call agenda.
- Hardware and skincareContract Manufacturer Red Flags: What to Catch at Each StageContract manufacturer red flags at each stage: first call, quote, site visit, and contract. Plus five things that look bad but usually aren't.
Quotes and cost
- Hardware and skincareRFQ Template for Manufacturing: What to Include So Quotes CompareA manufacturing RFQ outline you can copy, the 10 things every quote must state, and a real-looking good vs bad quote compared line by line.
- Hardware and skincareHow to Compare Manufacturer Quotes: Landed Cost per Good UnitA worked example: three manufacturer quotes on three Incoterms, normalized to landed cost per good unit with freight, duty, yield, tooling, and cash.
Contracts and ownership
- Hardware and skincareContract Manufacturing Agreement Checklist: Terms to Settle Before You PayA plain-English checklist of contract manufacturing agreement terms: the document stack, money, control, risk, and exit, with middle-ground positions.
- Hardware and skincareTooling Ownership Agreement: How to Make Sure You Can Take Your Tooling With YouPaying for tooling is not owning it. What a tooling ownership agreement should cover: tags, release on demand, mold life, payment milestones, and liens.
- SkincarePrivate Label vs Contract Manufacturer for Cosmetics: Who Owns Your Formula?Private label, stock formula, full-service, or fill-only? Compare cosmetic manufacturing models by who owns the formula, cash at launch, and risk.
Build and quality
- Hardware and skincareEVT, DVT, PVT Explained: What Each Build Must ProveEVT, DVT, and PVT explained with a worked example: what each build must prove, exit criteria, yield by phase, and what to do with a contract manufacturer.
- Hardware and skincareAQL Sampling Explained: A Worked Example for Your First LotsAQL sampling explained in plain language: how to pick a sample size, read acceptance numbers, classify defects, and what AQL 2.5 does not mean.
Want the whole method in one place?
These guides are drawn from The Contract Manufacturing Playbook: five short books, field kits for calls and site visits, a project workbook, and editable templates, each shown blank and filled in for the same two example companies.
See the Contract Manufacturing Playbook