“Can you carry this? I want to take you with me to a meeting with one of our vendors” she said as she handed me the large, rough working model of a current design idea. Still clutching the work I thought I was going to be presenting my boss for final approval I realized this was going to be something totally different. “We’re going through this project with our vendors and changing it quite substantially because of cost” Sounds about normal, makes sense. I walked into the small meeting room, greeted by two Chinese gentlemen looking fresh over the border but still all smiles and enthusiasm. Almost immediately the conversation exploded into Cantonese and moved at what seemed like military precision and accuracy. The guy in the blue shirt does all the talking, the other one just sits and listens intently. At one point I thought he was an intern too, but then I wondered if he wasn’t the boss, overseeing the meeting, choosing the right moment to interrupt and impart a piece of wisdom on my already strained ears. From the tone of their voices and the various pointing and playing with the prototype it was possible to follow the general topic of each section, but obviously details and specifics where utterly lost.
Before long, or what seemed like short, we had finished with the model I brought in and moved on the prototype they had brought with them, the first production model from the initial tooling, and we were thrown right into the details, comparing the original model from the model maker with the production model, scrutinizing every detail. When I say we I mean my boss obviously, I didn’t know what she was looking for or at until she quietly told me while inspecting the bottom of a tiny detachable panel. Decisions were made, problems were marked, materials were discussed. Something that summed up the relationship between the designer and manufacturer brilliantly for me was when a tiny detail piece was incorrectly molded. Instead of the whole part coming off from the prototype, only the small top half of it did. An easy mistake to make if you look at the piece in context as to what it represents in terms of a toy, but a problem when it comes to safety. The area was identified as a choking hazard and marked for retooling. Getting everyone to understand what’s going on psychologically and physically with a toy is something that happens over an evolving relationship built up through excellent contact. Done, hands shaken, greetings made, see you in three days and before I knew it I was back to the office, awkward model and incorrect sketch work in hand. This is how you get stuff done in China, you just do it.
One Trackback
[...] accuracy of the first mould compared to the approved model, made by a model maker. Read my post, Getting stuff done in China, for an accurate description of what it’s like to sit through such a meeting. Accuracy is [...]