Contract Engineering / Product Development FAQ

Patton has worked with all kinds of OEMs in Electronics, Aerospace, Medical Devices, Industrial Equipment, Machinery, Vehicles, Security, Surveillance, Emergency Response and Media Broadcast/Pro AV. We work extensively with Defense & Aerospace Contractors (such as Northrop, Lockheed Martin, L3 Harris, Raytheon, General Dynamics etc.), DOD, IC and other Government Agencies, Energy, Water, Utilities, Transportation, Big Tech (Amazon, Google, Oracle etc.), and Telecom Services Providers. We often partner with other Contract Engineering and Product Development firms seeking CM partners and other CMs seeking Product Development partners. We have some references and client testimonials on our website.

Patton tests components, subassemblies and products throughout the product development process. We want to discover problems early and apply a systematic approach to ensure the product meets its stated requirements.

Patton adheres to the standards, regulations, guidelines, and specifications governing each product we develop. Planning, know-how, risk mitigations and quality control are key elements of bringing compliant products to market.

The front end of any development is the most important to reduce development risks. Patton begins with a thorough, multi-step process of Concept Development and Requirements Definition around a Preliminary Design Concept (loaded with block diagrams, technology decisions, and so forth.) From there, the basic milestones are Project Plan, Specification Review, Design, Pilot, Validation and Release. Watch our Video of our Product Development Process.

Prototyping is crucial for validating the design’s form, fit, and function. Testing the product's performance before the development is completed helps get ahead of any potential design issues before initiating pilot run and mass production. Prototypes can often be used for preliminary testing and qualifications for safety and regulatory compliance. In many cases, prototypes are used to demonstrate the product to customers.

Development projects always need to balance design requirements with budget constraints. Technology decisions, including major component selections, are rife with risks that must be mitigated. These risks can impact the development process, timeliness and product cost and performance. The integration of hardware and software is needed to ensure seamless interaction between the physical product and its embedded software.

There is no typical timeline. Timeline varies greatly depending on the complexity of the product, but it can range from a few months to several years. The risks and trade-offs of the development timeline is the great discussion of the Requirements Definition phase.

This is an approach to product development that takes the development out of a designer or programmer silo. It is a way of developing a product from the start to make it easier and more cost-effective to manufacture. The product design team includes manufacturing experts who consider manufacturing processes, materials, and assembly methods during the design phase in order to minimize production costs, improve quality, and shorten time to market.