MANUFACTURING
"We'll just have to test it and see" — that's often where the claim starts.
Better tolerances. Higher yield. New materials. A process that finally does what it's supposed to. If getting there took genuine trial-and-error against a problem nobody had a ready answer for, you've likely got a strong claim on your hands.
WHAT QUALIFIES
Developing or materially improving products, production machinery, tooling, materials, formulations, manufacturing methods, process control, tolerances, yield, throughput or automation — where genuine technological uncertainty had to be resolved. Iterative shop-floor testing counts, even when it feels like "just improving the process" — the real test is whether the team was overcoming uncertainty a competent professional couldn't readily resolve.
THE WORK THIS COVERS
Redesigning a production process to hit a materially tighter tolerance without unacceptable scrap
Adapting or creating tooling where standard equipment can't reliably produce the required component
Developing a new material or process combination to hit strength, finish, weight or durability targets at production scale
THE OBJECTION WE HEAR MOST
"We're not inventing anything."
Most manufacturing claims aren't invention — they're resolution. Iterative testing counts when it's directed at genuine technical uncertainty, not routine trial and error. We work with Technical Directors, Engineering Managers, Production Managers, Process Engineers, Design Engineers, Quality Managers, Operations Directors and Tooling/Automation Engineers to draw that line properly.