Prototype to Production: 7 Sneaky Pitfalls to Avoid

2025-09-05

In episode 290 of China Manufacturing Decoded, Renaud Anjoran is back and joins Adrian to explore seven common pitfalls that can derail manufacturing projects during the critical transition from prototype to production. A working prototype may look and feel like the final product, but moving from prototype to mass production is a far more complex journey than most teams expect. From premature tooling to unreliable crowdfunding campaigns, missing test plans, and skipped pilot runs, these mistakes can cost enormous time, money, and...

In episode 290 of China Manufacturing Decoded, Renaud Anjoran is back and joins Adrian to explore seven common pitfalls that can derail manufacturing projects during the critical transition from prototype to production.

A working prototype may look and feel like the final product, but moving from prototype to mass production is a far more complex journey than most teams expect.

From premature tooling to unreliable crowdfunding campaigns, missing test plans, and skipped pilot runs, these mistakes can cost enormous time, money, and credibility if not handled correctly.

Episode Sections:

01:19 – Why moving from prototype to production is more complex than expected
04:26 – The analogy of the factory as “a big 3D printer” and why it’s wrong
05:42 – Preview of 7 pitfalls discussed in this episode
05:56 – Pitfall #1: Confirming a product design that isn’t ready for mass manufacturing
10:02 – Pitfall #2: Going for tooling before the product design is frozen
13:40 – Pitfall #3: Running a Kickstarter/Indiegogo campaign too early
19:33 – Pitfall #4: Crowdfunding with no margin (and the debt it creates)
23:30 – Pitfall #5: Not preparing a test plan for performance and reliability
27:29 – Pitfall #6: Skipping pilot runs before mass production
30:07 – Pitfall #7: Failing to have the manufacturer sign a development/manufacturing contract
36:01 – Recap of all 7 pitfalls and final thoughts