I help teams build complex physical products with clarity, control, and fewer unpleasant surprises.
I’ve spent my career designing, manufacturing, high-value hardware and helping teams navigate the risks that sit between concept and production.
Developing physical products is never straightforward. The challenges are rarely isolated to engineering alone. Commercial assumptions, supply chains, manufacturing readiness, and delivery pressure all collide — often late, and often expensively.
My role is to help teams see those risks early, make informed decisions, and choose the right path forward — whether that means progressing with confidence or stopping before momentum does real damage.
I work primarily with organisations developing complex products in defence, aerospace, and industrial sectors, where reliability, credibility, and delivery matter.
When teams usually get in touch
I’m typically brought in when:
A product is moving towards production and confidence is mixed
Internal teams need an experienced external view
Manufacturing or supply-chain questions are unresolved
The cost of getting it wrong is high
Sometimes that leads to a clear delivery plan. Sometimes it leads to a decision not to proceed.
Both are valid outcomes.
Most teams discover the real problems too late
Most teams don’t realise where the real risk sits until production exposes it. If you’re already committed to a design or supplier, this is where hidden exposure usually lives. - take the test
A sensible place to start
Before committing to meetings or proposals, I ask prospective clients to complete a short product readiness scorecard.
It’s designed to highlight key risks and considerations across:
Product definition
Commercial assumptions
Manufacturing and supply chain
Delivery readiness
You’ll receive a clear outcome:
Green — ready to progress
Amber — viable with conditions
Red — not currently a good fit
It takes less than two minutes, and results are immediate.
What usually goes wrong
Not because teams are careless — but because risks hide until it’s too late to address them cheaply.
In complex physical products, problems rarely appear where people expect them. Instead, they surface later as:
Designs that technically “work” but are fragile or expensive to manufacture
Suppliers selected too early — or too late — locking in cost and quality risk
Assumptions made during concept that quietly break during scale-up
Tooling, certification, or integration issues discovered after commercial commitments are made
Engineering teams optimising locally while programme risk increases globally
By the time these issues are visible, the options are limited:
Accept higher unit cost
Accept schedule slip
Or accept technical debt that will surface later in the field
The earlier these risks are surfaced, the cheaper and less political they are to fix. Once production has started, none of these decisions are cheap — and very few are reversible.
Ways I work with clients
I engage in two main ways, depending on what’s needed.
For organisations developing low-volume, high-value products, typically in the 20 – 200 unit range.
This approach suits teams who need structured design, engineering, and controlled manufacture — with clear visibility of cost, risk, and feasibility throughout.
The emphasis is on making good decisions early and avoiding problems later.
Design & Make (D&M)
For organisations that require dedicated manufacturing capability without establishing a permanent facility themselves.
This involves setting up and running a complete production operation — including people, systems, and quality — for a defined programme or time period.
FSR is a significant commitment and is only appropriate for certain types of programmes.
Factory Setup & Run - (FSR)
Design & Make Example ONE
Jet engine test unit for in-house development
Critical test capability was identified as missing late in the client’s product and facility planning
No off-the-shelf solution available; bespoke design required under programme time pressure
Key constraints: safety, noise, heat, exhaust management, and fire suppression
System required to operate safely within an existing production environment
Delivery
Concept, design, and risk resolution completed in 1 week
Fabrication, test, and installation completed within 4 weeks
Outcome
Fully operational test unit delivered without delaying the wider programme
Major safety and compliance risks removed before production ramp
Practical, proportionate solution delivered without unnecessary complexity
Design & Make Example two
Rapid delivery of technical support units for field deployment
Client required 50 support units to ship alongside a primary product
Units combined pumps, electronics, and controls housed in rugged, waterproof enclosures
Programme constraint: no tooling permitted due to compressed schedule
End-to-end lead time from brief to production: 4 weeks
Delivery
Two functional prototypes were developed and validated
Production delivered using fabrication, 3D printing, and off-the-shelf components
Custom wiring looms designed and built
Assembly and quality assurance completed in-house
Outcome
Units delivered on schedule to support the client’s main product launch
No tooling investment required, preserving flexibility and cash
Third successful product delivered for the same client, reinforcing continuity and trust
Factory Setup & Run Example
Rapid transformation of a derelict building into a production facility
The client required a bespoke manufacturing facility for a low-volume, high-value, security-sensitive product, with testing nearing completion
No suitable existing site available; the brief required delivery of a fully operational production environment in 12 weeks
Scope included facility setup, staffing, systems, quality, testing, storage, and support services
Delivery
Converted a rundown warehouse into a modern production facility
Built out office, canteen, stores, kitting, rework, cleanroom, production, QA, testing, and storage areas
Integrated specialist equipment, security systems, admin and stock control systems
Recruited and trained multi-discipline staff including QA, assembly, test engineers, and technicians
Outcome
Production capability delivered within the compressed 12-week timeframe
Facility ready for launch when the client’s testing completed
Major schedule and organisational risks removed before production start
About
I work directly with CEOs and senior leadership teams to bring new physical products to market — particularly where the commercial stakes are high and the margin for error is low.
Over more than three decades, I’ve been involved in the development and delivery of hundreds of products across more than thirty industries, spanning startups through to multinational organisations. Many of those products have gone on to underpin substantial, long-term revenue for the businesses behind them.
What that experience provides is not speed for its own sake, but perspective.
I’ve seen enough development programmes succeed and fail to recognise patterns early — where risk is building, where assumptions are weak, and where the traditional new product development process will slow progress rather than protect it. That allows me to help teams shortcut unnecessary stages, focus on the decisions that genuinely matter, and move forward with greater confidence.
My work typically involves shaping products that are both technically viable and commercially defensible, often supported by protectable IP. I’ve been named on more than forty patents and have founded and supported multiple ventures built around new product opportunities.
I am also the founder of The Product Group, an organisation that develops products for international brands in tools, sports, defence and consumer markets.
I work with a small, proven core team and a wider, trusted network, allowing me to assemble the right capabilities for each programme without unnecessary overhead. This model suits organisations that need results rather than theatre, and delivery rather than optimism.
Alongside commercial work, I advise at board level, lecture at universities, and act as an expert witness when required.
I now focus on working with a limited number of partners where experience, judgement, and clear decision-making materially improve the outcome.