How is Manufacturing changing after 2020?
By: Javier Naranjo
Tags: Trends, Product Development, 2020, Product Design, Manufacturing

some week ago we at A4M group received an invitation from the China ASEEN Innovation forum to share our knowledge in product development with the more than 2 million online and offline assistants of the event.

They approached us with a question: how to revitalize the manufacturing?. Manufacturing is of course continually changing, but does it happen somehow more than the evolving technology? How do we know where and how it is happening?

the team summarized it in 3 trends, that are, and will be even more, loud in product design and product development :

CADIF: the guests and environment

The guest of the CADIF included some of the highest design studios and influences in product design in Asia, the list included Icona from Shanghai, LKK from Beijing, top car producer SAIC-GM and Mahdi Shariff, representative of Forbes ’30 Asian people under 30’. it sounded ambitious for a year full of travel restrictions, and as expected, 50% of the guest had to cancel or moved their speeches to the big screen or live stream.

still, the event ran majestically: a touch screen or touch wall, better, to take a look at all the project and products nominated to the design awards to be delivered in the first part of the ceremony, impressive lighting arrangement at the best style of a tv show and the highest local governors sitting in the first line.

so, how did the crowd received our vision in trends?

manufacturing is changing, here is where we at A4M group see things going to:

Sensor technology, the hardware here to stay:

when it seems that software is taking over, sensor technology is that unreplaceable part of the hardware. We want to understand our environment better, is human nature to be curious, now add data record and you will have a tool that can help users to make more informed decisions

That’s why these products are stronger than ever, they are driven by data and software, and using hardware help users to understand better our environment. A perfect example is BEEP: our friends from beep foundation found that for a beekeeper to have a healthier beehive, there is the need to understand what’s happening inside without disturbing the bees, so they created BEEP: A beehive scale measuring weight, sound, and temperature to help beekeepers make informed decisions

check BEEP campaign in kickstarter!

Biomaterials and responsible consumers

Are biomaterials a trend? it sounds more like sweet-talking from an industry feeling guilty. But when a client comes to you saying; I need my product fully degradable within two years and with the same performance as using a conventional polymer otherwise my clients in Europe will not buy it.

this rising trend is more and more moving to be a requirement and not just a preference for the consumers, and therefore it is also for the developers and manufacturers. so the know-how to use biopolymers beautifully seems to be a great differentiator in manufacture to position products in a new, more responsible, and more willing to spend, consumer segments. it’s a two sides interest: from the factories to be competitive in the segments with responsible consumers and for developers looking for a more mature manufacturing setup to realize their products

More transparent manufacturing:

how do I know that the team in China is representing my values? is usual to hear from consumers and brand teams producing in this side of the world. The answer is being transparent:

we can see Example cases like g star raw, They went ahead with a manufacturing map, where their consumers can see the location, and even workers demographic data. This helps developers and people in between to improve standards, increase the trust in the brands, and facilitate communication between the interested parties. is a stand up For a beautiful and clean product, that satisfy their client’s values

check G-star manufacturing map: https://www.g-star.com/en_hk/about-us/responsibility/manufacturing-map

and I’m writing this while we at A4M group are developing products in the three lines.

about the Autor

Hey there. I’m Javier Naranjo, Product designer, and project manager at A4M group. in Guangzhou, China.

I love to create products! and I do it for clients all over the world. sharing here my experiences and ideas. follow me on this journey

https://a4m-group.com/