The production VS The prototype
The production refers to the full-scale manufacturing process of a
product intended for market distribution.
It involves mass production of items, standardized processes and quality control, use of finalized designs and materials, meets all regulatory and market requirements
and is intended for sale to end customers.
The prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process.
It is characterized by a limited quantity production, is used for testing and refinement of design and it may use different materials or processes than final product.
It focuses on functionality and design validation and it is intended for internal testing, not for sale.
“AQM BD procures prototypes created to test and refine a concept or design before the full-scale manufacturing process of a finalized product intended for market distribution starts.”
Testing vs Market Distribution
Prototypes aim to prove concepts and refine designs whereas production
items are final products ready for customer use.
Pototypes are produced in small numbers, often individually while production involves large quantities, often thousands or millions.
Prototypes are part of an iterative design process, subject to changes, production uses a locked design, changes are costly and avoided.
Prototypes also allow for quick iterations based on immediate feedback while production changes are slower, based on market feedback over time.
Below are some other differences between protoype and production:
- Purpose of a prototype is testing vs. production item is for mass market distribution
- The scale of a prototype is limited vs. production item is for mass Production
- Finalization of a prototype is iterative vs. production item is a finalized Design
The benefits of a prototype
Prototypes help identify design flaws early and lowers costly mistakes
in production.
It allows for iterative improvements and help optimize product functionality.
It is also cheaper to modify prototypes than production units, it prevents expensive tooling changes later.
Prototyping accelerates product development cycle, enables faster market entry, provides tangible representation of ideas and improves understanding among team members.
It also helps in creating promotional materials useful for pitching to potential investors.
Prototyping also informs production method decisions and helps in estimating production costs.
Below are some additional prototyping benefits:
- Concept validation: Tests the feasibility of product ideas
- Material exploration: Allows testing of different materials
- Customer involvement: Enables early customer engagement.