If there was a favorite business word (phrase?) of 2021, it was supply chain. From container ships blocking major trade routes to clogged ports throughout the US and around the world, supply chain concerns seemed to be top-of-mind, and so far 2022 isn't shaping up to be any different. 

Most informal clients have asked about domestic manufacturing and sourcing at least once over the past 6 months; while this is exciting for supply chain nerds like us, manufacturing in the US is a bit more complicated than most people realize. More on that later, but for our first newsletter or 2022, we're focusing on sourcing and supply chain, the most important aspect of physical product development for scale, and the most often overlooked at early stages. 

To start, let's take a look at informal client Neurosity, who informal members helped with design for manufacturing, cost optimization, and sourcing vendors in North America and abroad.

Client Feature

Neurosity makes a beautifully designed brain computer interface (BCI) called The Crown that measures a wearer's brainwaves and helps them stay in-the-zone with software that analyzes their level of focus. Developers can write applications that run directly on The Crown's onboard computer and use their brainwaves as triggers to do everything from automatically playing the perfect mood music, to controlling features of a smart home.

informal members helped Neurosity redesign the first iteration of The Crown for injection molding and easier assembly, streamlining the production and assembly process, and reducing labor costs with overseas contract manufacturers. With our help, Neurosity deployed a manufacturing strategy that kept their intellectual property safe by fabricating circuit boards, programming, and completing final assembly with manufacturing partners in North America.

The final result is a higher quality, better performing headset that costs less to build and is easier to assemble and repair. Today, The Crown is used by neuroscientists, software engineers, XR developers, and researchers all over the world inspired by new mediums for human computer interaction.

Member Feature

A key member of Neurosity's informal team is supply chain director Jiting Yang. Based in Shanghai, China, Jiting is on the ground in the world's manufacturing mecca. 

Jiting specializes in high complexity hardware product development, with experience in hard-to-find component sourcing and vendor management. Her extensive personal rolodex of original equipment manufactures (OEM) in Asia means she knows exactly who to reach out to get almost anything made. 

Jiting is a informal client's secret weapon for strategic sourcing and cost down projects. She also has impeccable qualitative and quantitative analytical skills in demand forecasting and inventory optimization. And she's a pleasure to work with!

Gatherings & Events

Industry News & Trends

From computer chips to coffee, here are the expected supply chain shortages and challenges of 2022. 

Informal co-founder Sam Holland writes this month in our blog about the benefits of manufacturing in the United States, or in China. Sam shares over 10 years experience in manufacturing, showing how global structures of supply chains influence where to produce your product.

The March inflation figure issued yesterday in the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) showed yet another new high, rising 8.5% annually, and marking its biggest percentage gain going back to 1981, what is the impact of inflation on manufacturing?