Before any physical build begins, Incap’s industrial engineers review the product requirements and assess technical feasibility. This covers functional scope, conformity requirements, target cost structures, quantity projections, and any industry-specific standards (medical, railway, automotive, defence) that will govern design and production decisions.

At this stage, potential manufacturability risks are identified early — when they are least expensive to address. The initial feasibility phase sets the foundation for the entire development process. It involves defining the product specifications, identifying potential manufacturing challenges, and estimating production costs. This early assessment helps companies avoid costly design changes later in the process.

Key outputs: Feasibility assessment, requirements specification, preliminary risk register, project and milestone plan.

Design for Manufacture and Design for Test review is applied to the product design before the first prototype build. Incap’s engineers evaluate PCB layout, component selection, panelisation strategy, solder joint geometry, test access points, and assembly sequence — providing documented feedback that the customer’s design team can act on before tooling and fixtures are committed.

Integrating DFM principles early in the product development process minimizes manufacturing challenges, improves product quality, and ensures smoother market entry. A design may look perfect in CAD but may include tight component placements or unusual footprints that complicate assembly. DFM helps to spot and correct these early, avoiding delays and expensive redesigns later.

DfT review focuses on ensuring that meaningful test coverage is achievable within the production process — covering flying probe access, in-circuit test (ICT) fixture requirements, functional test strategy, and boundary scan where applicable. Design for Test should be accounted for from the very beginning of the project and implemented as early as possible. It costs significantly more to incorporate DfT at the end of the design process.

Key outputs: DFM report, DfT report, design revision recommendations, BOM review, component risk assessment.

Early prototype builds validate core functionality and allow rapid iteration on design details before the product enters the more structured pre-production phase. Incap supports both quick-turn prototype builds for early concept validation and more refined functional prototypes that represent production intent more closely.

Prototype builds at Incap are conducted using production-representative processes — the same SMT lines, assembly methods, and inspection equipment used in volume production — which means that issues surfaced at prototype stage are genuine manufacturing issues, not artefacts of a simplified prototype environment.

Multiple prototype iterations may be required, and Incap’s structured approach captures learnings systematically across each build, progressively reducing variance and tightening the path to production sign-off.

Key outputs: Functional prototype units, build report, first article inspection report, engineering change log, updated risk register.

A technically sound design can still fail at NPI stage if component availability has not been verified and alternative sourcing strategies have not been established. Effective BOM management is often the deciding factor between a smooth NPI and a delayed launch.

Incap’s procurement and industrial engineering teams conduct BOM analysis in parallel with prototype development — identifying long lead-time components, single-source risks, lifecycle status concerns, and opportunities for qualified alternatives. This work feeds directly into production planning and informs the stocking and disposition parameters set for volume production.

Key outputs: Verified BOM, component risk assessment, approved vendor list, lead-time map, alternative component recommendations.

Pilot production — sometimes referred to as pre-series — is the first build conducted under full production conditions, with production tooling, fixtures, test equipment, and documentation in place. It validates that the manufacturing process is stable and repeatable before volume quantities are committed.

Lean manufacturing principles are applied to achieve efficient production, minimise waste, and maintain cost effectiveness. Reliability testing verifies durability and performance. X-ray inspection and other rigorous quality checks detect internal issues. Detailed records ensure adherence to regulatory standards.

Incap’s ERP system with full barcode and DataMatrix traceability is active from the first pilot build, ensuring that every component, every process step, and every test result is captured and available for quality review and regulatory submission.

Key outputs: Pilot build units, process capability data, test coverage report, yield analysis, production documentation package, traceability records.

Following pilot sign-off, the product is released to volume production with a complete and validated documentation package — including work instructions, test programmes, inspection criteria, BOM, and any conformity documentation required by the target market.

For customers producing in multiple regions or requiring dual-site manufacturing capability, Incap’s global footprint enables production transfer across sites without repeating the full NPI cycle, provided the receiving site operates within the same quality framework.

Key outputs: Production release sign-off, full documentation package, approved production baseline, transfer plan if applicable.