Many companies have been able to succeed off the back of China’s supply chain and engineering capacities. In our recent blog about diversification, we discussed how China’s OEM and ODM capacities, with its access to talent and component suppliers, made the case for many companies to continue working with their Chinese partners to develop and deliver products.
However, developing products with suppliers on the other side of the world can be challenging. Most of the issues that cause mistakes or delay project timelines revolve around effective communication. So in this blog, we make the case for having a product development manager on the ground in China to support your business.
Why Hire Your Product Development Manager in China
In our experience, this comes down to the difference between product management and product development. Product management focuses on strategic planning and market positioning, while product development emphasizes technical execution and manufacturing processes.
It makes the most sense to have product management functions in your company’s home country or in target market countries. However, if you are working with ODM/OEMs in China to bring your product to life, then you are outsourcing the majority of development functions to a supplier on the other side of the world.
The product development manager will be your bridge between the company’s product team and your manufacturing partner. They will be working very closely with your supplier’s engineering teams and a whole range of different departments.
Therefore, it makes sense to hire someone on the ground in China who can communicate efficiently with all the relevant departments within the ODM/OEM partner and make sure a robust product is delivered on time.
What are the Core Responsibilities of a Product Development Manager in China?
The product development manager will be leading and managing the end-to-end product development process. This starts from concept ideation, to prototype testing and then manufacture of the product. They will take the lead on making sure the product is compliant with the relevant markets as well as being the key point of contact for packaging design.
This means the product development manager needs to collaborate with cross-functional teams, including design, engineering, marketing, and manufacturing, to define product requirements, specifications, and timelines.
Some of these teams will not be internal teams, but from ODM suppliers or third-party service companies, so the product development manager will play a key role in managing supplier relationships and vendor partnerships, and supporting the negotiation of supplier contracts.
Depending on the project, they may even get involved in the procurement of components and materials to support product development objectives.
They will work with all stakeholders to ensure adherence to technical specifications, quality standards, regulatory requirements, and safety certifications throughout the product development process. They will lean on the suppliers to optimize manufacturing processes and production workflows, with the goal to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and accelerate time-to-market.
What Should You be Looking For?
First and foremost, your product development manager must have a technical mindset. Ideally, they should have an engineering background and a keen attention to detail. Knowledge of manufacturing processes, materials science, and engineering principles will be crucial for someone to succeed in this role.
The product lifecycle will be the body clock that your product development manager needs to adjust to, so an understanding of product lifecycle management (PLM) will be a valuable advantage. There are many PLM software tools in the market, and it can be quite challenging to understand which one is right for your company. It would be a ‘nice to have’ if your product development manager has experience using some of these tools.
Since the role of the product development manager is key to bringing the product to market, knowledge of regulatory compliance is essential. This is particularly important in industries like consumer electronics, where products are subject to stringent safety and regulatory requirements. As a result, you should be looking for candidates with knowledge of relevant regulations such as FCC, CE, and RoHS.
The product development manager will be bringing multiple teams together, so they must have excellent people skills. Getting things done will be a principle they will stick by, and this means getting the best out of other people. When interviewing candidates, look at their experience not just in leading teams but also in working within a team to achieve project milestones.
An additional “nice to have” is budget and cost management. Many hardware startups never make it to market because they run out of money; don’t be one of these! Optimizing spend and analyzing different costs is important, but it’s also key to remember that “time is money” when getting a product to market. Therefore, a good balance between speed to market and operational spend will be a responsibility of your product development manager to deliver.
Daily Tasks of a Product Development Manager
In our experience, the day-to-day tasks of the product development manager revolve around communication with the team members around them. Below is an outline of what the product development manager would be doing daily:
Creating Product Definitions and Performance KPIs:
- Define product specifications and features based on market research and consumer feedback.
- Develop performance metrics and KPIs to measure product success.
- Drive critical messaging claims to effectively communicate product benefits.
Developing Consumer-Centric Product Collateral:
- Create consumer-centric product collateral such as instruction manuals, informational stickers, and packaging materials.
- Ensure product collateral aligns with consumer preferences and enhances user experience.
Managing Compliance Risks and Local Requirements:
- Stay updated on regional compliance risks and regulations.
- Advocate for compliance in early product development stages to ensure timely delivery.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to address and mitigate compliance issues.
Tracking Product Financials and Roadmap Initiatives:
- Track progress on category roadmap initiatives and adjust strategies as needed.
- Monitor product and category financials, including costs, gross margins, and P&L.
Enabling Swift Decision-Making:
- Provide clear direction to teams to empower decision-making.
- Facilitate quick decision-making among peers within working programs.
- Maintain open communication channels for effective leadership collaboration.
Translating Products for Marketing:
- Serve as the technical expert for the marketing team.
- Translate product features and benefits into compelling marketing messages.
- Ensure marketing materials effectively highlight product value for retailers and consumers.
Collaborating with ODM/OEM and Supply Partners:
- Work closely with ODM/OEM and supply partners to oversee end-to-end product delivery.
- Coordinate with partners to ensure seamless integration of product components and timely delivery.
- Work closely with suppliers and partners to mitigate risks and ensure product quality.
An Overview of the Role and Desired Skills
| Responsibilities | Skills |
|---|---|
| Leading and managing the end-to-end product development process | Engineering background and high attention to detail. |
| Collaborate with cross-functional teams | Understanding of product lifecycle management |
| managing supplier relationships and vendor partnerships | A knowledge of regulatory compliance |
| Supporting the procurement of components and materials | Great people skills |
| Ensure adherence to technical specifications, quality standards, regulatory requirements, and safety certifications | Budget and cost management |
How Can the China Desk Help?
Kinyu SCM has worked with some great product development managers within the consumer electronics space. These individuals have held key positions within organizations and have played a leading role in launching products to market with the support of ODMs in China.
The China Desk by Kinyu can help you recruit and employ a product development manager on the ground in China. If you want to know the salary and company cost for a product development manager in China, check out our free salary calculator.
To learn more about how The China Desk operates, download a free case study or get in touch with one of our team members today.
