IDC launches new service to help inventors
20 October 2015
A new service tailored to help inventors turn their bright ideas into a reality has been launched by Industrial Design Consultancy (IDC).
IDC is already supporting inventors with a number of free downloadable resources on their website and following the success of this, IDC is now offering a New Product Development Consultation, geared especially for inventors. The session systematically works through all the aspects of developing and launching a new product and evaluates the opportunities and challenges of an inventor’s concept.
Inventors will be asked to submit an overview of the new product idea in complete confidence (NDA provided) for a one-to-one meeting. IDC’s expert consultants will discuss the idea itself; the technology required; any development or technical challenges; patent strategy; commercial risks, challenges and opportunities; likely development costs; an estimate of product manufacturing costs; and strategies for raising funds to kickstart the development. At the end of the process, the inventor will receive a report which will be invaluable in helping to shape their next steps and plan a new product development.
“A person might have a fantastic new product idea, but how easy will it be to make and market effectively?" says Stephen Knowles, managing director of IDC. "Getting it right is about assessing an idea, highlighting the problem areas and reducing the risk from the outset with the long term aim of creating not just a great design but a commercially sound product.
"That’s exactly what this service is all about. It will help inventors avoid the costly mistakes that others have made by offering a cost-effective way to learn about any problems early on, and a fast way to get the development process up and running.”
Inventors stand to benefit from all areas of expertise within IDC’s unique product development process honed over forty years, drawing on engineers and model makers through to designers across industrial, scientific, consumer and medical markets.
The service costs £300+VAT which is fully refundable against any future development work at IDC. Knowles continues, “New product developments can run into tens of thousands of pounds. Ideas which are not sounded out and clarified early on leave the inventor vulnerable to heavy losses. Spending a small amount in the beginning could save a great deal more in the long term.”
One of the first inventors to use the new service was Daljit Kaur Singh who found the service extremely beneficial, commenting, “I found IDC really approachable and easy to understand. They explained the whole process from start to finish and provided a clear direction forward for our invention, whereas previous advice had been confusing and left us in the dark.”
IDC has a strong history of supporting inventors to secure funding, produce prototypes for testing and checking, right through to delivering turn key product development solutions.
One example is the late GP and inventor, Ken Phillips’, groundbreaking ‘Superskin’ motorcycle helmet, which mimics the human body’s own skull and skin composition to reduce the rotational injury that often causes severe trauma or death during an accident.
A well-received concept for the biker industry, the IDC design demanded careful combinations of material and engineering detail to achieve the tough quality required and meet stringent safety regulations during testing. IDC was able to provide clear advice early on in the design process to ensure a watertight product development plan.
Further information about the New Product Development Consultation is available here.
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